IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRIIT 

WnSTIR,N.Y.  I4SM 

(716)172^503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHJVI/ICMH 
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Couverture  endommagia 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
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□ 


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The 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

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10X  14X  18X  22X 


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premlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iiiustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUiVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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method: 


Les  carte>».  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmte  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  difftrents. 
Lorsque  ie  docur*  ant  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  ^eul  clich*,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  suptrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  Ims,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaira.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


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5 

6 

JENNIE 

BAXTER 

JOURNALIST 


LORD  UONAL  TURNKD  WITH   AN   ILL-CONCEALEU  EXPRESSION  OF 
liU'ATIENCE."— /'fliT^  I  JO, 


JENNIE 

B  A  X  T  E  R 

JOURNA  LIST 


BY 
ROBERT    BARR 


AUTHOR    OF   "TEKLA,"    "IN    THE    MIDST    OF 

ALARMS,"    "THE    STRONG    ARM,"    "A 

WOMAN    INTERVENES,"    ETC. 


3b 


NEW   YORK 
FREDERICK    A.    STOKES    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


'^^^^S^aA7SSr4- 


■/ 


Copyright,   i8g8,   iScfg, 
By  Robert   Barr 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP. 


PAGE. 


I.   JENNIE   MAKES    HER    TOILETTE   AND    THE  AC- 
QUAINTANCE OF  A  PORTER            ...  1 
II,   JENNIE    HAS  IMPORTANT   CONFERENCES    WITH 

TWO  IMPORTANT  EDITORS  .            .           .           •  1$ 

III.  JENNIE  INTERVIEWS  A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL  .  28 

IV.  JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  THE  DIAMONDS  OF  THE 

PRINCESS 46 

V.   JENNIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE            .           .  $7 

VI.   JENNIE  SOLVES  THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY   .           .  66 

VII.   JENNIE  ARRANGES  A  CINDERELLA  VISIT  .           .  87 

VIII.   JENNIE  MIXES  WITH  THE  iSlITE  OF  EARTH          .  lOO 

IX.   JENNIE    REALISES  THAT    GREAT    EVENTS    CAST 

THEIR  SHADOWS  BEHIND     .            .           .           .  124 

X.   JENNIE  ASSISTS  IN  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF   .  140 

XI.   JENNIE  ELUDES  AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE            .  159 
XII.   JENNIE  TOUCHES  THE  EDGE  OF  A  GOVERNMENT 

SECRET 171 

XIII.   JENNIE  INDULGES  IN  TEA  AND  GOSSIP       .           .  182 

XIV.   JENNIE  BECOMES  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER         .           .  196 
XV.   JENNIE     BESTOWS    INFORMATION      UPON      THE 

CHIEF  OF  POLICE 214 


5/ 3  4'^^^ 


Iv 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  rAGI'.. 

XVI.   JENNIE    VISITS    A      MODERN    WIZARD    IN     HIS 

MAGIC  ATTIC 232 

XVII.   JENNIE  ENGAGES  A  ROOM  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR  .    267 
XVIII.   JENNIE  ENDURES  A  TERRIBLE  NIGHT  JOURNEY    284 
XIX.   JENNIE  EXPERIENCES    THE    SURPRISE   OF    HER 

LIFE 304 

XX.   JENNIE    CONVERSES   WITH    A   YOUNG   MAN  SHE 

THINKS  MUCH  OF 315 

XXI.   JENNIE  KEEPS  STEP  WITH  THE  WEDDING  MARCH   327 


h 


JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

JENNIE  MAKES   HER  TOILETTE  AND  THE  ACQUAIN- 
TANCE  OF  A  PORTER. 

Miss  Jennie  Baxter,  with  several  final  and 
dainty  touches  that  put  to  rights  her  hat  and  dress 
— a  little  pull  here  and  a  pat  there — regarded  her- 
self with  some  complacency  in  the  large  mirror  that 
was  set  before  her,  as  indeed  she  had  every  right  to 
do,  for  she  was  an  exceedingly  pretty  girl.  It  is 
natural  that  handsome  young  women  should  attire 
themselves  with  extra  care,  and  although  Jennie 
would  have  been  beautiful  under  any  con':eivable 
condition  of  dress,  she  nevertheless  did  not  neglect 
the  arraying  of  herself  becomingly  on  that  account. 
All  that  was  remarkable  on  this  occasion  consisted 
in  the  fact  that  she  took  more  than  usual  pains  to 
make  herself  presentable,  and  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  effect  was  as  attractive  as  anyone  could 
wish  to  have  it.     Her  appearance  was  enough  to 


i         JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

send  a  friend  into  ecstasies,  or  drive  an  enemy  to 
despair. 

Jennie's  voluminous  hair,  without  being  exactly 
golden,  was — as  the  poets  might  term  it — the  col- 
our of  ripe  corn,  and  was  distractingly  fluffy  at 
the  temples.  Her  eyes  were  liquidly,  bewitchingly 
black,  of  melting  tenderness,  and  yet,  upon  occa- 
sion, they  would  harden  into  piercing  orbs  that 
could  look  right  through  a  man,  and  seem  to  fathom 
his  innermost  thoughts.  A  smooth,  creamy  com- 
plexion, with  a  touch  of  red  in  the  cheeks,  helped 
to  give  this  combination  of  blonde  and  brunette  an 
appearance  so  charmingly  striking  that  it  may  be 
easily  understood  she  was  not  a  girl  to  be  passed  by 
with  a  single  glance.  To  sum  up  everything  in  one 
comprehensive  phrase,  Miss  Jennie  Baxter  was  an 
American  girl.  Being  so  favoured  by  nature,  Jen- 
nie did  not  neglect  the  aid  of  art,  and  it  must  be 
admitted  that  most  of  her  income  was  expended  in 
seeing  that  her  wardrobe  contained  the  best  that 
Paris  could  supply  ;  and  the  best  in  this  instance 
was  not  necessarily  the  most  expensive — at  least, 
not  as  expensive  as  such  supplementing  might  have 
been  to  an  ordinary  woman,  for  Jennie  wrote  those 
very  readable  articles  on  the  latest  fashionable 
gowiis  which  have  appeared  in  some  of  the  ladies* 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE.        3 

weeklies,  and  it  was  generally  supposed  that  this 
fact  did  not  cause  her  own  replenishing  from  the 
modistes  she  so  casually  mentioned  in  her  writings 
to  be  more  expensive  than  her  purse  could  afford. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  Miss  Baxter  was  alwpy^  most  be- 
comingly attired,  and  her  whole  effect  was  so  en- 
trancing that  men  have  been  known  to  turn  in  the 
street  as  she  passed,  and  murmur  "  By  Jove !  "  a 
phrase  that,  when  you  take  into  account  the  tone 
in  which  it  is  said,  represents  the  furthermost  point 
of  admiration  which  the  limited  vocabulary  of  a 
man  about  town  permits  him  to  utter ;  and  it  says 
something  for  the  honesty  of  Jennie's  black  eyes, 
and  the  straightforwardness  of  her  energetic  walk, 
that  none  of  these  momentary  admirers  ever  turned 
and  followed  her. 

On  this  occasion  Miss  Jennie  had  paid  more  than 
usual  attention  to  her  toilette,  for  she  was  about  to 
set  out  to  capture  a  man,  and  the  man  was  no  other 
than  Radnor  Hardwick,  the  capable  editor  of  the 
Daily  Bugle,  which  was  considered  at  that  moment 
to  be  the  most  enterprising  morning  journal  in  the 
great  metropolis  of  London,  England.  Miss  Bax- 
ter had  done  work  for  some  of  the  evening  papers, 
several  of  the  weeklies,  and  a  number  of  the  month- 
lies, and  the  income  she  made  was  reasonably  good, 


4         JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

but  hazardously  fitful.  There  was  an  uncertainty 
about  her  mode  of  life  which  was  displeasing^  to  her, 
and  she  resolved,  if  possible,  to  capture  an  editor  on 
one  of  the  morning  papers,  and  get  a  salary  that 
was  fixed  and  secure.  That  it  should  be  large  was 
a  matter  of  course,  and  pretty  Miss  Jennie  had  quite 
enough  confidence  in  herself  to  believe  she  would 
earn  every  penny  of  it.  Quite  sensibly,  she  de- 
pended upon  her  skill  and  her  industry  as  her  ulti- 
mate recommendation  to  a  large  salary,  but  she  was 
woman  enough  to  know  that  an  attractive  appear- 
ance might  be  of  some  assistance  to  her  in  getting 
a  hearing  from  the  editor,  even  though  he  should 
prove  on  acquaintance  to  be  a  man  of  iron,  which 
was  tolerably  unlikely.  She  glanced  at  the  dainty 
little  watch  attached  to  her  wristlet,  and  saw  that  it 
lacked  a  few  minutes  of  five.  She  knew  the  editor 
came  to  his  office  shortly  after  three,  and  remained 
there  until  six  or  half-past,  when  he  went  out  to 
dine,  returning  at  ten  o'clock,  or  earlier,  when  the 
serious  work  of  arranging  next  day's  issue  began. 
She  had  not  sent  a  note  to  him,  for  she  knew  if  she 
got  a  reply  it  would  be  merely  a  request  for  particu- 
lars as  to  the  proposed  interview,  and  she  had  a 
strong  faith  in  the  spokon  word,  as  against  that 
which  is  written,     At  five  o'clock  the  editor  would 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE.        5 

have  read  his  letters,  and  would  probably  have  seen 
most  of  those  who  were  waiting  for  him,  and  Miss 
Baxter  quite  rightly  conjectured  that  this  hour 
would  be  more  appropriate  for  a  short  conversation 
than  when  he  was  busy  with  his  correspondence,  or 
immersed  in  the  hard  work  of  the  day,  as  he  would 
be  after  ten  o'clock  at  night.  She  had  enough  ex- 
perience of  the  world  to  know  that  great  matters 
often  depend  for  their  success  on  apparent  triviali- 
ties, and  the  young  woman  had  set  her  mind  on  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Daily  Bugle  staff. 

She  stepped  lightly  into  the  hansom  that  was 
waiting  for  her,  and  said  to  the  cabman,  "  Office  of 
the  Daily  Bugle,  please  ;  side  entrance." 

The  careful  toilette  made  its  first  impression  upon 
the  surly-looking  Irish  porter,  who,  like  a  gruff  and 
faithful  watch-dog,  guarded  the  entrance  to  the  edi- 
torial rooms  of  the  Bugle.  He  was  enclosed  in  a 
kind  of  glass-framed  sentry-box,  with  a  door  at  the 
side,  and  a  small  arched  aperture  that  was  on  a 
level  with  his  face  as  he  sat  on  a  high  stool.  He 
saw  to  it,  not  too  politely,  that  no  one  went  up 
those  stairs  unless  he  had  undoubted  right  to  do  so. 
When  I'e  caught  a  glimpse  of  Miss  Baxter,  he  slid 
off  the  stool  and  came  out  of  the  door  to  her,  which 
was  an  extraordinary  concession  to  a  visitor,  for  Pat 


6         JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Ryan  contented  himself,  as  a  usual  thing,  by  saying 
curtly  that  the  editor  was  busy,  and  could  see  no  one. 

"What  did  you  wish,  miss?  To  see  the  editor? 
That's  Mr.  Hardwick.  Have  ye  an  appointment 
with  him  ?  Ye  haven't ;  then  I  very  much  doubt  if 
ye'll  see  him  this  day,  mum.  It's  far  better  to 
write  to  him,  thin  ye  can  state  what  ye  want,  an'  if 
he  makes  an  appointment  there'll  be  no  throuble  at 
all,  at  all." 

"  But  why  should  there  be  any  trouble  now  ? " 
asked  Miss  Baxter.  *'  The  editor  is  here  to  transact 
business,  just  as  you  are  at  the  door  to  do  the 
same.  I -have  come  on  business,  and  I  want  to  see 
him.  Couldn't  you  send  up  my  name  to  Mr. 
Hardwick,  and  tell  him  I  will  keep  him  but  a  few 
moments?" 

"  Ah,  miss,  that's  what  they  all  say ;  they  ask 
for  a  few  moments  an'  they  shtay  an  hour.  Not 
that  there'd  be  any  blame  to  an  editor  if  he  kept 
you  as  long  as  he  could.  An'  it's  willing  I'd  be  to 
take  up  your  name,  but  I'm  afraid  that  it's  little 
good  it  'ud  be  after  doin'  ye.  There's  more  than  a 
dozen  men  in  the  waitin'-room  now,  an'  they've 
been  there  for  the  last  half-hour.  Not  a  single  one 
I've  sent  up  has  come  down  again." 

"  But   surely,"   said    Miss   Jennie,   in    her    most 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE.        7 

coaxing  tone,  "there  must  be  some  way  to  see 
even  such  a  great  man  as  the  editor,  and  if  there 
is,  you  know  the  way." 

"  Indade,  miss,  an*  I'm  not  so  sure  there  is  a 
way,  unless  you  met  him  in  the  strate,  which  is 
unlikely.  As  I've  told  ye,  there's  twelve  men  now 
waitin'  for  him  in  the  big  room.  Beyont  that  room 
there's  another  one,  an'  beyont  that  again  is  Mr. 
Hardwick's  office.  Now,  it's  as  much  as  my  place 
is  worth,  mum,  to  put  ye  in  that  room  beyont  the 
one  where  the  men  are  waitin' ;  but,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  miss,"  said  the  Irishman,  lowering  his  voice, 
as  if  he  were  divulging  office  secrets,  "  Mr.  Hard- 
wick,  who  is  a  difficult  man  to  deal  with,  sometimes 
comes  through  the  shmall  room,  and  out  into  the 
passage  whin  he  doesn't  want  to  see  anyone  at  all, 
at  all,  and  goes  out  into  the  strate,  leavin*  every- 
body waitin'  for  him.  Now  I'll  put  ye  into  this 
room,  and  if  the  editor  tries  to  slip  out,  then  ye 
can  speak  with  him  ;  but  if  he  asks  ye  how  ye  got 
there,  for  the  sake  of  hiven  don't  tell  him  I  sint  ye, 
because  that's  not  my  duty  at  all,  at  all." 

"  Indeed,  I  won't  tell  him  how  I  got  there — or, 
rather,  I'll  say  I  came  there  by  myself ;  so  all  you 
need  to  do  is  to  show  me  the  door,  and  there  won't 
need  to  be  any  lies  told.*' 


8        JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


r    ! 


I 


"  True  for  ye,  an*  a  very  good  idea.  Well,  miss, 
then  will  ye  just  come  up  the  stairs  with  me?  It's 
the  fourth  door  down  the  passage."  .. 

Miss  Jennie  beamed  upon  the  susceptible  Irish- 
man a  look  of  such  melting  gratitude  that  the  man, 
whom  bribery  had  often  attempted  to  corrupt  in 
vain,  was  her  slave  for  ever  after.  They  went  up 
the  stairs  together,  at  the  head  of  which  the  porter 
stood  while  Miss  Baxter  went  down  the  long 
passage  and  stopped  at  the  right  door,  Ryan 
nodded  and  disappeared. 

Miss  Baxter  opened  the  door  softly  and  entered. 
She  found  the  room  not  too  brilliantly  lighted,  con- 
taining a  table  and  several  chairs.  The  door  to 
the  right  hand,  which  doubtless  led  into  the  wait- 
ing-room, where  the  dozen  men  were  patiently 
sitting,  was  closed.  The  opposite  door,  which  led 
into  Mr.  Hardwick's  office,  was  partly  open.  Miss 
Baxter  sat  down  near  the  third  door,  the  one  by 
which  she  had  entered  from  the  passage,  ready  to 
intercept  the  flying-  editor,  should  he  attempt  to 
escape. 

In  the  editor's  room  someone  was  walking  up 
and  down  with  heavy  footfall,  and  growling  in  a 
deep  voice  that  was  plainly  audible  where  Miss 
Jennie  sat. 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE.        9 

"  You  see,  Alder,  it's  like  this,"  said  the  voice. 
"  Any  paper  may  have  a  sensation  every  day,  if  it 
wishes;  but  what  I  want  is  accuracy,  otherwise  our 
sheet  has  no  real  influence.  When  an  article  ap- 
pears in  the  Bugle,  I  want  our  readers  to  under- 
stand that  that  article  is  true  from  beginning  to 
end.  I  want  not  only  sensation,  but  definiteness, 
and  not  only  definiteness,  but  absolute  truth." 

"Well,  Mr.  Hardwick,"  interrupted  another  voice 
— the  owner  of  which  was  either  standing  still  or 
sitting  in  a  chair,  so  far  as  Miss  Baxter  could  judge 
by  the  tone,  while  the  editor  uneasily  paced  to  and 
fro — "  what  Hazel  is  afraid  of  is  that  when  this 
blows  over  he  will  lose  his  situation " 

"  But,"  interjected  the  editor,  "  no  one  can  be 
sure  that  he  gave  the  information.  No  one  knows 
anything  about  this  but  you  and  I,  and  we  will  cer- 
tainly keep  our  mouths  shut." 

"  What  Hazel  fears  is  that  the  moment  we  print 
the  account,  the  Board  of  Public  Construction  will 
know  he  gave  away  the  figures,  because  of  their  ac- 
curacy. He  says  that  if  we  permit  him  to  make 
one  or  two  blunders,  which  will  not  matter  in  the 
least  in  so  far  as  the  general  account  goes,  it  will 
turn  suspicion  from  him.  It  will  be  supposed  that 
someone  had  access  to  the  books,  and  in  the  hurry 


1 


If       ;j 


10      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

of  transcribing  figures  had  made  the  blunders,  which 
they  know  he  would  not  do,  for  he  has  a  reputation 
for  accuracy." 

"  Quite  so,"  said  the  editor;  "and  it  is  just  that 
reputation  for  accuracy  that  I  want  to  gain  for  the 
Daily  Bugle.  Don't  you  think  the  truth  of  it  is 
that  the  man  wants  more  money  ?  " 

"Who?    Hazel?" 

"  Certainly.  Does  he  imagine  that  he  could  get 
more  than  fifty  pounds  elsewhere?" 

"Oh,  no  ;  I'm  sure  the  money  doesn't  come  into 
the  matter  at  all.  Of  course  he  wants  the  fifty 
pounds,  but  he  doesn't  want  to  lose  his  situation  on 
the  Board  of  Public  Construction  in  the  getting  of 

it." 

"  Where  do  you  meet  this  man,  at  his  own  house, 
or  in  his  ofHce  at  the  Board  ?  " 
"  Oh,  in  his  own  house,  of  course." 
"  You  haven't  seen  the  books,  then  ?  " 
"  No  ;  but   he  has   the  accounts  all   made   out, 
tabulated  beautifully,  and  has  written  a  very  clear 
statement  of  the   whole   transaction.     You  under- 
stand, of  course,  that  there  has  been  no  defalcation, 
no  embezzlement,  or  anything  of  that  sort.     The 
accounts  as   a  whole  balance  perfectly,  and  there 
isn't  a  penny  of  the  public  funds  wrongly  appropri- 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE,      ii 

ated.  All  the  Board  has  done  is  to  juggle  with 
figures  so  that  each  department  seems  to  have  come 
out  all  right,  whereas  the  truth  is  that  some  depart- 
ments have  been  carried  on  at  a  great  profit,  while 
with  others  there  has  been  a  loss.  ;  he  object  ob- 
viously has  been  to  deceive  the  public  and  make  it 
think  that  all  the  departments  are  economically 
conducted." 

"  I  am  sorry  money  hasn't  been  stolen  ;  "  said  the 
editor,  generously,  "  then  we  would  have  had  them 
on  the  hip ;  but,  even  as  it  is,  the  Bugle  will  make  a 
great  sensation.  What  I  fear  is  that  the  opposition 
press  will  seize  on  those  very  inaccuracies,  and  thus 
try  to  throw  doubt  on  the  whole  affair.  Don't  you 
think  that  you  can  persuade  this  person  to  let  us 
have  the  information  intact,  without  the  inclusion 
of  those  blunders  he  seems  to  insist  on  ?  I  wouldn't 
mind  paying  him  a  little  more  money,  if  that  is 
what  he  is  after." 

"  I  don't  think  that  is  his  object.  The  truth  is, 
the  man  is  frightened,  and  grows  more  and  more  so 
as  the  day  for  publication  approaches.  He  is  so 
anxious  about  his  position  that  he  insisted  he  was 
not  to  be  paid  by  cheque,  but  that  I  should  collect 
the  money  and  hand  it  over  to  him  in  sovereigns." 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  to  do,  Alder.  We  mustn't 


Hi 


12      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

seem  too  eager.  Let  the  matter  rest  where  it  is 
until  Monday.  I  suppose  he  expects  you  to  call 
upon  him  again  to-day  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  told  him  I  should  be  there  at  seven." 

'*  Don't  go,  and  don't  write  any  explanation. 
Let  him  transfer  a  little  of  his  anxiety  to  the  fear 
of  losing  his  fifty  pounds.  I  want,  if  possible,  to 
publish  this  information  with  absolute  accuracy." 

"  Is  there  any  danger,  Mr.  Hardwick,  that  some 
of  the  other  papers  may  get  on  the  track  of  this  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  so ;  not  for  three  days,  any- 
way. If  we  appear  too  eager,  this  man  Hazel  may 
refuse  us  altogether." 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

Miss  Baxter  heard  the  editor  stop  in  his  walk, 
and  she  heard  the  rustling  of  paper,  as  if  the  sub- 
ordinate were  gathering  up  some  documents  on 
which  he  had  been  consulting  his  chief.  She  was 
panic-stricken  to  think  that  either  of  the  men 
might  come  out  and  find  her  in  the  position  of  an 
eavesdropper,  so  with  great  quietness  she  opened 
the  door  and  slipped  out  into  the  hall,  going  from 
there  to  the  entrance  of  the  ordinary  waiting-room, 
in  which  she  found,  not  the  twelve  men  that  the 
porter  had  expatiated  upon,  but  five.  Evidently  the 
other  seven  had  existed  only   in   the  porter's  im- 


JENNIE  MAKES  HER  TOILETTE.       13 

agination,  or  had  become  tired  of  waiting  and  had 
withdrawn.  The  five  looked  up  at  her  as  she 
entered  and  sat  down  on  a  chair  near  the  door.  A 
moment  later  the  door  communicating  with  the 
room  she  had  quitted  opened,  and  a  clerk  came  in. 
He  held  two  or  three  slips  of  paper  in  his  hand, 
and, calling  out  a  name,  one  of  the  men  rose. 

"  Mr.  Hardwick  says,"  spoke  up  the  clerk,  "  that 
this  matter  is  in  Mr.  Alder's  department ;  would 
you  mind  seeing  him?     Room  number  five." 

So  that  man  was  thus  got  rid  of.  The  clerk 
mentioned  another  name,  and  again  a  man  rose. 

"  Mr.  Hardwick,"  the  clerk  said,  "  has  the  matter 
under  consideration.  Call  again  to-morrow  at  this 
hour,  then  he  will  give  you  his  decision." 

That  got  rid  of  number  two.  The  third  man  was 
asked  to  leave  his  name  and  address ;  the  editor 
would  write  to  him.  Number  four  was  told  that  if 
he  would  set  down  his  proposition  in  writing,  and 
send  it  in  to  Mr.  Hardwick,  it  would  have  that 
gentleman's  serious  consideration.  The  fifth  man 
was  not  so  easily  disposed  of.  He  insisted  upon 
seeing  the  editor,  and  presently  disappeared  i?  ide 
with  the  clerk.  Miss  Baxter  smiled  at  the  rapid 
dispersion  of  the  group,  for  it  reminded  her  of  the 
rhyme  about  the  one  little,  two  little,  three  little 


14       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

nigger-boys.  But  all  the  time  there  kept  running 
through  her  mind  the  phrase,  "  Board  of  Public 
Construction/'   and  the  name,  "  Hazel." 

After  a  few  minutes,  the  persistent  man  who  had 
insisted  upon  seeing  the  editor  came  through  the 
general  waiting-room,  the  secretary,  or  clerk,  or 
whoever  he  was,  following  him. 

**  Has  your  name  been  sent  in,  madam  ? "  the 
young  man  asked  Miss  Baxter,  as  she  rose. 

"  I  think  not,"  answered  the  girl.  "  Would  you 
take  my  card  to  Mr.  Hardwick,  and  tell  him  I  will 
detain  him  but  a  few  moments  ?  " 

In  a  short  time  the  secretary  reappeared,  and 
held  the  door  open  for  her. 


CHAPTER  II. 

JENNIE  HAS  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES  WITH  TWO 
IMPORTANT   EDITORS. 

Mr.  Hardwick  was  a  determined-looking  young 
man  of  about  thirty-five,  with  a  bullet  head  and 
closely-cropped  black  hair.  He  looked  like  a  stub- 
born, strong-willed  person,  and  Miss  Baxter's  sum- 
ming up  of  him  was  that  he  had  not  the  appearance 
of  one  who  could  be  coaxed  or  driven  into  doing 
anything  he  did  not  wish  to  do.  He  held  her  card 
between  his  fingers,  and  glanced  from  it  to  her, 
then  down  to  the  card  again. 

"Good  afternoon,  Mr.  Hardwick,"  began  Miss 
Baxter.  "  I  don't  know  that  you  have  seen  any  of 
my  work,  but  I  have  written  a  good  deal  for  some 
of  the  evening  papers  and  for  several  of  the  maga- 
zines." 

"  Yes,"  said  Hardwick,  who  was  standing  up  pre- 
paratory to  leaving  his  office,  and  who  had  not 
asked  the  young  woman  to  sit  down  ;  "  your  name 
is  familiar  to  me.  You  wrote,  some  months  since, 
an  account  of  a  personal  visit  to  the  German 
Emperor ;  I  forget  now  where  it  appeared." 


i6       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


iijii 


"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Miss  Baxter  ;  "  that  was  written 
for  the  Summer  Magazine,  and  was  illustrated  by 
photographs." 

"  It  struck  me,"  continued  Hardwick,  without 
looking  at  her,  "  that  it  was  an  article  written  by  a 
person  who  had  never  seen  the  German  Emperor, 
but  who  had  collected  and  assimilated  material 
from  whatever  source  presented  itself." 

The  young  woman,  in  nowise  abashed,  laughed  ; 
but  still  the  editor  did  not  look  up. 

"  Yes,"  she  admitted,  "  that  is  precisely  how  it 
was  written.  I  never  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  William  II.  myself." 

"  What  I  have  always  insisted  upon  in  work  sub- 
mitted to  me,"  growled  the  editor,  in  a  deep  voice, 
"  is  absolute  accuracy.  I  take  it  that  you  have 
called  to  see  me  because  you  wish  to  do  some  work 
for  this  paper." 

"  You  are  quite  right  in  that  surmise  also,"  an- 
swered Miss  Jennie.  "  Still,  if  I  may  say  so,  there 
was  nothing  inaccurate  in  my  article  about  the 
German  Emperor.  My  compilation  was  from  thor- 
oughly authentic  sources,  so  I  maintain  it  was  as 
truthfully  exact  as  anything  that  has  ever  appeared 
in  the  Bugle'' 

"Perhaps  our  definitions  of  truth  might  not  quite 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  17 

coincide.  However,  if  you  will  write  your  address 
on  this  card  I  will  wire  you  if  I  have  any  work — 
that  is,  any  outside  work — which  I  think  a  woman 
can  do.  The  woman's  column  of  the  Buglcy  as  you 
are  probably  aware,  is  already  in  good  hands." 

Miss  Jennie  seemed  annoyed  that  all  her  elabor- 
ate preparations  were  thrown  away  on  this  man, 
who  never  raised  his  eyes  nor  glanced  at  her,  ex- 
cept once,  during  the  ■  conversation. 

"  I  do  not  aspire,"  she  said,  rather  shortly,  "  to 
the  position  of  editor  of  a  woman's  column.  I 
never  read  a  woman's  column  myself,  and,  unlike 
Mr.  Grant  Allen,  I  never  met  a  woman  who  did." 

She  succeeded  in  making  the  editor  lift  his  eyes 
towards  her  for  the  second  time. 

"  Neither  do  I  intend  to  leave  you  my  address  so 
that  you  may  send  a  wire  to  me  if  you  have  any- 
thing that  you  think  I  can  do.  What  I  wish  is  a 
salaried  position  on  your  stafl." 

*'  My  good  woman,"  said  the  editor  brusquely, 
"  that  is  utterly  impossible.  I  may  tell  you  frankly 
that  I  don't  believe  in  women  journalists.  The 
articles  we  publish  by  women  are  sent  to  this  office 
from  their  own  homes.  Anything  that  a  woman 
can  do  for  a  newspaper  I  have  men  who  will  do 
quite  as  well,  if  not   better,  and  there  are  many 


li 


I 


i8       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

things  that  women  can't  do  at  all  which  men  must  do. 
I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  my  staff  as  it  stands, 
Miss  Baxter." 

"  I  think  it  is  generally  admitted,"  said  the  young 
woman,  "  that  your  staff  is  an  exceptionally  good 
one,  and  is  most  capably  led.  Sitill,  I  should  im- 
agine that  there  are  many  things  happening  in 
London,  society  functions,  for  instance,  where  a 
woman  v/ould  describe  more  accurately  what  she 
saw  than  any  man  you  could  send.  You  have  no 
idea  how  full  of  blunders  a  man's  account  of  wo- 
men's dress  is  as  a  general  rule,  and  if  you  admire 
accuracy  as  much  as  you  say,  I  should  think  you 
would  not  care  to  have  your  paper  made  a  laugh- 
ing-stock among  society  women,  who  never  take  the 
trouble  to  write  you  a  letter  and  show  you  where 
you  are  wrong,  as  men  usually  do  when  some  mis- 
take regarding  their  affairs  is  made." 

"  There  is  probably  something  in  what  you  say," 
replied  the  editor,  with  an  air  of  bringing  the  dis- 
cussion to  a  close.  '*  I  don't  insist  that  I  am  right, 
but  these  are  my  ideas,  and  while  I  am  editor  of 
this  paper  I  shall  stand  by  them,  so  it  is  useless  for 
us  to  discuss  the  matter  any  further,  Miss  Baxter. 
I  will  not  have  a  woman  as  a  member  of  the  per- 
manent staff  of  the  Bugle T 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  19 

For  the  third  time  he  looked  up  at  her,  and  there 
was  dismissal  in  his  glance. 

Miss  Baxter  said  indignantly  to  herself,  "  This 
brute  of  a  man  hasn't  the  slightest  idea  that  I  am 
one  of  the  best  dressed  women  he  has  ever  met." 

But  there  was  no  trace  of  indignation  in  her  voice 
when  she  said  to  him  sweetly,  '*  We  will  take  that 
as  settled.  But  if  upon  some  other  paper,  Mr. 
Hardwick,  I  should  show  evidence  of  being  as  good 
a  newspaper  reporter  as  any  member  of  your  staff, 
may  I  come  up  here,  and,  without  being  kept  wait- 
ing too  long,  tell  you  of  my  triumph?  " 

"  You  would  not  shake  my  decision,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  don't  say  t!iat,"  she  murmured,  with  a  smile. 
"  I  am  sure  you  wouldn't  like  it  if  anyone  called 
you  a  fool." 

"  Called  me  a  fool  ? "  said  the  editor  sharply, 
drawing  down  his  dark  brows.  "  I  shouldn't  mind 
it  in  the  least." 

"  What,  not  if  it  were  true  ?  You  know  it  would 
be  true,  if  I  could  do  something  that  all  your  clever 
men  hadn't  accomplished.  An  editor  may  be  a 
very  talented  man,  but,  after  all,  his  mission  is  to 
see  that  his  paper  is  an  interesting  one,  and  that  it 
contains,  as  often  as  possible,  something  which  no 
other  sheet  does." 


m 


20       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"Oh,  I'll  see  to  that,"  Mr.  Hardvvick  assured  her 
with  resolute  confidence. 

"  I  am  certain  that  you  will,"  said  Miss  Baxter, 
very  sweetly ;  "  but  now  you  won't  refuse  to  let  me 
in  whenever  I  send  up  my  card.  I  promise  you 
that  I  shall  not  send  it  until  I  have  done  something 
which  will  make  the  whole  staff  of  the  Daily  Bugle 
feel  very  doleful  indeed." 

For  the  first  time  Mr.  Hard  wick  gave  utterance 
to  a  somewhat  harsh  and  mirthless  laugh. 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  he  said,  "  I  promise  that." 

"  Thank  you !  And  good  afternoon,  Mr.  Hard- 
wick.  I  am  so  much  obliged  to  you  for  consenting 
to  see  me.  I  shall  call  upon  you  at  this  hour  to- 
morrow afternoon." 

There  was  something  of  triumph  in  her  smiling 
bow  to  him,  and  as  she  left  she  heard  a  long  whistle 
of  astonishment  in  Mr.  Ilardwick's  room.  She 
hurried  down  the  stairs,  threw  a  bewitching  glance 
at  the  Irish  porter,  who  came  out  of  his  den  and 
whispered  to  her — 

"  It's  all  right,  is  it,  mum  ?  "  ^ 

"More  than  all  right,"  she  answered.  "Thank 
you  very  much  indeed  for  your  kindness." 

The    porter  preceded    her  out   to    the  waiting 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  21 

hansom  and  held  his  arm  so  that  her  skirt  would 
not  touch  the  wheel. 

"Drive  quickly  to  the  Caf6  Royal,"  she  said,  to 
the  cabman. 

When  the  hansom  drew  up  in  front  of  the  Cafe 
Royal,  Miss  Jennie  Baxter  did  not  step  out  of  it, 
but  waited  until  the  stalwart  servitor  in  gold  lace, 
who  ornamented  the  entrance,  hurried  from  the 
door  to  the  vehicle. 

"  Do  you  know  Mr.  Stoneham  ?  "  she  asked,  with 
suppressed  excitement,  "  the  editor  of  the  Evening 
Graphite?  He  is  usually  here  playing  dominoes 
with  somebody  about  this  hour." 

*•  Oh,  yes,  I  know  him,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  think 
he  is  inside  at  this  moment,  but  I  will  make  cer- 
tain." 

In  a  short  time  Mr.  Stoneham  himself  appeared, 
looking  perhaps  a  trifle  disconcerted  at  having  his 
whereabouts  so  accurately  ascertained. 

"  What  a  blessing  it  is,"  said  Miss  Jennie,  with  a 
laugh,  "  that  we  poor  reporters  know  where  to  find 
our  editors  in  a  case  of  emergency." 

"  This  is  no  case  of  emergency,  Miss  Baxter," 
grumbled  Stoneham.  "  If  it's  news,  you  ought  to 
know  that  it  is  too  late  to  be  of  any  use  for  us  to- 
day." 


I 


i 


22       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  was  the  quick  reply,  "  but  what  ex- 
cellent time  I  am  in  with  news  for  to-morrow  ! " 

"  If  a  man  is  to  live  a  long  life,"  growled  the  dis- 
turbed editor,  "  he  must  allow  to-morrow's  news  to 
look  after  itself.  Sufficient  for  the  day  are  the 
worries  thereof." 

"  As  a  general  rule  that  is  true,"  assented  the  girl, 
"  but  I  have  a  most  important  piece  of  information 
for  you  that  wouldn't  wait,  and  in  half  an  hour  from 
now  you  will  be  writing  your  to-morrow's  leader, 
showing  forth  in  terse  and  forcible  language  the 
many  iniquities  of  the  Board  of  Public  Construction." 

"  Oh,"  cried  the  editor,  brightening,  "  if  it  is  any- 
thing to  the  discredit  of  the  Board  of  Public  Con- 
struction, I  am  glad  you  came." 

"Well,  that's  not  a  bit  complimentary  to  me. 
You  should  be  glad  in  any  case;  but  I'll  forgive 
your  bad  manners,  as  I  wish  you  to  help  me. 
Please  step  into  this  hansom,  because  I  have  most 
startling  intelligence  to  impart — news  that  must 
not  be  overheard ;  and  there  is  no  place  so  safe  for 
a  confidential  conference  as  in  a  hansom  driving 
through  the  streets  of  London.  Drive  slowly 
towards  the  Evening  Graphite  office,"  she  said  to 
the  cabman,  pushing  up  the  trap-door  in  the  roof  of 
the  vehicle. 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  23 

Mr.  Stoneham  took  his  place  beside  her,  and 
the  cabman  turned  his  horse  in  the  direction 
indicated. 

"'Ihere  is  little  use  in  going  to  the  office  of  the 
paper,"  said  Stoneham  ;  "  there  won't  be  anybody 
there  but  the  watchman." 

"  I  know,  but  we  must  go  in  some  direction.  We 
can't  talk  in  front  of  the  Caf6  Royal,  you  knew. 
Now,  Mr.  Stoneham,  in  the  first  place,  I  want  fifty 
golden  sovereigns.  How  am  I  to  get  them  within 
half  an  hour." 

"  Good  gracious  !  I  don't  know  ;  the  banks  are 
all  closed,  but  there  is  a  man  at  Charing  Cross  who 
would  perhaps  change  a  cheque  for  me  ;  there  is  a 
cheque-book  at  the  office." 

"Then  that's  all  right  and  settled.  Mr.  Stone- 
ham, there's  been  some  juggling  with  the  accounts 
in  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Public  Construction." 

"  What !  a  defalcation  ?  "  cried  Stoneham  eagerly. 

"No;  merely  a  shifting  round." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  editor,  in  a  disappointed  tone. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  say  *  Ah.'  It's  very  serious ; 
it  is  indeed.  The  accounts  are  calculated  to  de- 
ceive the  dear  and  confiding  public,  to  whose  in- 
terests all  the  daily  papers,  morning  and  evening, 
pretend  to  be  devoted.     The  very  fact  of  such  de- 


II 


II 


24       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

ception  being  attempted,  Mr.  Stoneham,  ought  to 
call  forth  the  anger  of  any  virtuous  editor." 

"  Oh,  it  does,  it  does ;  but  then  it  would  be  a 
difficult  matter  to  prove.  If  some  money  were 
gone,  now " 

"  My  dear  sir,  the  matter  is  already  proved,  and 
quite  ripe  for  your  energetic  handling  of  it ;  that's 
what  the  fifty  pounds  are  for.  This  sum  will  secure 
for  you — to-night,  mind,  not  to-morrow — a  state- 
ment bristling  with  figures  which  the  Board  of  Con- 
struction cannot  deny.  You  will  be  able,  in  a  stir- 
ring leading  article,  to  express  the  horror  you  un- 
doubtedly feel  at  the  falsification  of  the  figures,  and 
your  stern  delight  in  doing  so  will  probably  not  be 
mitigated  by  the  fact  that  no  other  paper  in  London 
will  have  the  news,  while  the  matter  will  be  so  im- 
portant that  next  day  all  your  beloved  contempo- 
raries will  be  compelled  to  allude  to  it  in  some 
shape  or  other." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  editor,  his  eyes  glistening  as 
the  magnitude  of  the  idea  began  to  appeal  more 
strongly  to  his  imagination.  "  Who  makes  this 
statement,  and  how  are  we  to  know  that  it  is  ab- 
solutely correct  ?"  ' 

"  Well,  there  is  a  point  on  which  I  wish  to  inform 
you  before  going  any  further.     The   statement  is 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  25 

not  to  be  absolutely  correct ;  two  or  three  errors 
have  been  purposely  put  in,  the  object  being  to 
throw  investigators  off  the  track  if  they  try  to  dis- 
cover who  gave  the  news  to  the  Press ;  for  the  man 
who  will  sell  me  this  document  is  a  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Board  of  Public  Construction.  So,  you 
see,  you  are  getting  the  facts  from  the  inside." 

"  Is  he  so  accustomed  to  falsifying  accounts  that 
he  cannot  get  over  the  habit  even  when  preparing 
an  article  for  the  truthful  Press?" 

"  He  wants  to  save  his  own  situation,  and  quite 
rightly,  too,  so  he  has  put  a  number  of  errors  in  the 
figures  of  the  department  over  which  he  has  direct 
control.  He  has  a  reputation  for  such  accuracy 
that  hfe  imagines  the  Board  will  never  think  he  did 
it,  if  the  figures  pertaining  to  his  department  are 
wrong  even  in  the  slightest  degree." 

"  Quite  so.  Then  we  cannot  have  the  pleasure 
of  mentioning  his  name,  and  saying  that  this  honest 
man  has  been  corrupted  by  his  association  with  the 
scoundrels  who  form  the  Board  of  Public  Construc- 
tion?" 

"  Oh,  dear,  no ;  his  name  must  not  be  mentioned 
in  any  circumstances,  and  that  is  why  payment 
is  to  be  made  in  sovereigns  rather  than  by  bank 
cheque  or  notes." 


'ih'AM 


m 


i|i; 


.1,'  I 

Hi; 


I  t 


il 


m  ii 


36       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Well,  the  traitor  seems  to  be  covering  up  his 
tracks  rather  effectually.  How  did  you  come  to 
know  him  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  him.  I've  never  met  hir."  in  my 
life,  but  it  came  to  my  knowledge  that  one  of  the 
morning  papers  had  already  made  all  its  plans  for 
getting  this  information.  The  clerk  was  to  receive 
fifty  pounds  for  the  document,  but  the  editor  and 
he  are  at  present  negotiating,  because  the  editor 
insists  upon  absolute  accuracy,  while,  as  I  said,  the 
man  wishes  to  protect  himself,  to  cover  his  tracks, 
as  you  remarked." 

"Good  gracious!"  cried  Stoneham,  "I  didn't 
think  the  ditor  of  any  morning  paper  in  London 
was  so  particular  about  the  accuracy  of  >^hat  he 
printed.  The  pages  of  the  morning  sheets  do  not 
seem  to  reflect  that  anxiety." 

"So,  you  see,"  continued  Miss  Jennie,  unheeding 
his  satirical  comment,  "  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost ; 
in  fact,  I  should  be  on  my  way  now  to  where  this 
man  lives." 

"  Here  we  are  at  the  office,  and  I  shall  just  run 
in  and  write  a  cheque  for  fifty  pounds,  which  we 
can  perhaps  get  cashed  somewhere,"  cried  the 
editor,  calling  the  hansom  to  a  halt  and  stepping 
out. 


i  li 


JENNIE'S  IMPORTANT  CONFERENCES.  27 

"Tell  the  watchman  to  bring  me  a  London 
directory,"  said  the  girl,  and  presently  that  useful 
guardian  came  out  with  the  huge  red  volume, 
which  Miss  Baxter  placed  on  her  knees,  and,  with 
a  celerity  that  comes  of  long  practice,  turned  over 
the  leaves  rapidly,  running  her  finger  quickly  down 
the  H  column,  in  which  the  name  "  Hazel "  was  to 
be  found.  At  last  she  came  to  one  designated  as 
being  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Construction,  and  his  residence  was  17,  Rupert 
Square,  Brixton.  She  put  this  address  down  in  her 
notebook,and  handed  back  the  volume  to  the  wait- 
ing watchman  as  the  editor  came  out  with  the 
cheque  in  his  hand. 

The  shrewd  and  energetic  dealer  in  coins,  whose 
little  office  stands  at  the  exit  from  Charing  Cross 
Station,  proved  quite  willing  to  oblige  the  editor  of 
the  Evening  Graphite  with  fifty  sovereigns  in  ex- 
change for  the  bit  of  paper,  and  the  editor,  handing 
to  Miss  Jennie  the  envelope  containing  the  gold, 
saw  her  drive  off  for  Brixton,  while  he  turned,  not 
to  resume  his  game  of  dominoes  at  the  caf6,  but  to 
his  office,  to  write  the  leader  which  would  express 
in  good  set  terms  the  horror  he  felt  at  the  action  of 
the  Board  of  Public  Construction. 


li! 


I 


I    ! 


>    i'l 


CHAPTER  III. 

0 

JENNIE  INTERVIEWS  A   FRIGHTENED    OFFICIAL. 

It  was  a  little  past  seven  o'clock  when  Miss 
Baxter's  hansom  drove  up  to  the  two-storied 
house  in  Rupert  Square  numbered  17.  She 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  it  was  speedily  opened  by 
a  man  with  some  trace  of  anxiety  on  his  clouded 
face,  who  proved  to  be  Hazel  himself,  the  clerk  at 
the  Board  of  Public  Construction. 

"  You  are  Mr.  Hazel  ?  "  she  ventured,  on  entering. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  man,  quite  evidently  surprised 
at  seeing  a  lady  instead  of  the  man  he  was  ecoecting 
at  that  hour;  "l)ut  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  ask 
you  to  excuse  me ;  I  am  waiting  for  a  visitor  who 
is  a  few  minutes  iau,  and  who  may  be  here  at  any 
moment." 

"You  are  waiting  for  Mr.  Alder,  are  you  not?" 

"  Yes,"  stammered  the  man,  his  expression  of 
surprise  giving  place  to  one  of  consternation. 

"  Oh,  well,  that  is  all  right,"  said  Miss  Jennie, 
reassuringly.     "I  have  just  driven  from   the  office 


(^  u 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


29 


of  the  Daily  Bugle,  Mr.  Alder  cannot  come  to- 
night." 

"  Ah,"  said  Hazel,  closing  the  door,  "  Then  are 
you  here  in  his  place?" 

"  I  am  here  instead  of  him.  Mr.  Alder  is  on 
other  business  that  he  had  to  attend  to  at  the  ed- 
iter's  request.  Now,  Mr.  Ilardwick — that's  the 
editor,  you  know " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  answered  Hazel. 

They  were  by  this  time  seated  in  the  front  parlour. 

**  Well,  Mr.  Hardwick  is  very  anxious  that  the 
figures  should  be  given  with  absolute  accuracy." 

"  Of  course,  that  would  be  much  better,"  cried 
the  man  ;  "  but,  you  see,  I  have  gone  thoroughly 
into  the  question  with  Mr.  Alder  already.  He  said 
he  would  mention  what  I  told  him  to  the  editor — 
put  my  position  before  him,  in  fact." 

"Oh,  he  has  done  so,"  said  Miss  Baxter,  "and 
did  it  very  effectively,  indeed ;  in  fact,  your  reasons 
are  quite  unanswerable.  You  fear,  of  course,  that 
you  will  lose  your  situation,  and  that  is  very  im- 
portant, and  no  one  in  the  Bugle  ofifice  wishes  you 
to  suffer  for  what  you  have  done.  Of  course,  it  is 
all  in  the  public  interest." 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  murmured  Hazel,  looking 
down  on  the  table. 


It^ 


30       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Well,  have  you  all  the  documents  ready,  so  that 
they  can  be  published  at  any  time  ?  " 

"  Quite  ready,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  girl,  with  decision ;  "  here 
are  your  fifty  pounds.  Just  count  the  money,  and 
see  that  it  is  correct.  I  took  the  envelope  as  it  was 
handed  to  me,  and  have  not  examined  the  amount 
myself." 

She  poured  the  sovereigns  out  on  the  table,  and 
Hazel,  with  trembling  fingers,  counted  them  out 
two  by  two. 

"  That  is  quite  right,"  he  said,  rising.  He  went 
to  a  drawer,  unlocked  it,  and  took  out  a  long  blue 
envelope. 

"  There,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh  that  was  almost  a 
gasp.  "There  are  the  figures,  and  a  full  explana- 
tion of  them.  You  will  be  very  careful  that  my 
name  does  not  slip  out  in  any  way." 

"  Certainl)^"  said  Miss  Jennie,  coolly  drawing 
forth  the  papers  from  their  covering.  "  No  one 
knows  your  name  except  Mr.  Alder,  Mr.  Hardwick, 
and  iTiyself ;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  I  shall  not 
mention  it  to  anyone." 

She  glanced  rapidly  over  the  documents. 

"  I  shall  just  read  what  you  have  written,"  she 
said,  looking  up  at  him  ;  "  and  if  there  is  anything 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


31 


here  I  do  not  understand,  you  will,  perhaps,  be  good 
enough  to  explain  it  now,  and  then  I  won't  need  to 
come  here  again." 

"Very  well,"  said  Hazel. 

The  man  had  no  suspicion  that  his  visitor  was 
not  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  paper  he  had  been 
negotiating  with.  She  was  so  thoroughly  self- 
possessed,  and  showed  herself  so  familiar  with  all 
details  which  had  been  discussed  by  Alder  and  him- 
self that  not  the  slightest  doubt  had  entered  the 
clerk's  mind. 

Jennie  read  the  documents  with  great  haste,  for 
she  knew  she  was  running  a  risk  in  remaining  there 
after  seven  o'clock.  It  might  be  that  Alder  would 
come  to  Brixton  to  let  the  man  know  the  result  of 
his  talk  with  the  editor,  or  Mr.  Hardwick  himself 
might  have  changed  his  mind,  and  instructed  his  sub- 
ordinate to  secure  the  papers.  Nevertheless,  there 
was  no  sign  of  hurry  in  Miss  Jennie's  demeanour  as 
she  placed  the  papers  back  in  their  blue  envelope 
and  bade  the  anxious  Hazel  good-bye. 

Once  more  in  the  hansom,  she  ordered  the  man 
to  drive  hqr  to  Charing  Cross,  and  when  she  was 
ten  minutes  away  from  Rupert  Square  she  changed 
her  direction  and  desired  him  to  take  her  to  the 
office   of  the  Evening  Graphite^  where    she   knew 


fl 

11 

•'1    V 

Hi  \ 


m 


"  H 


32       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Mr.  Stoneham  would  be  busy  v/ith  his  leading  arti- 
cle, and  probably  impatiently  awaiting  further  de- 
tails of  the  conspiracy  he  was  to  lay  open  before 
the  public.  A  light  was  burning  in  the  editorial 
rooms  of  the  office  of  the  Evening  Graphite,  always 
a  suspicious  thing  in  such  an  establishment,  and 
well  calculated  to  cause  the  editor  of  any  rival 
evening  paper  to  tremble,  shonld  he  catch  a 
glimpse  of  burning  gas  in  a  spot  where  the  work  of 
the  day  should  be  finished  at  latest  by  five  o'clock. 
Light  in  the  room  of  the  evening  journalist  usually 
indicates  that  something  important  is  on  hand. 

A  glance  at  the  papers  Miss  Baxter  brought  to 
him  showed  Mr.  Stoneham  that  he  had  at  least  got 
the  worth  of  his  fifty  pounds.  There  would  be  a 
fluttering  in  high  places  next  day.  He  made  ar- 
rangements bei-  '•e  he  left  to  have  the  paper  issued 
a  little  earlier  than  was  customary,  calculating  his 
time  with  exactitude,  so  that  the  rival  sheets  could 
not  have  the  news  in  their  first  edition,  cribbed 
from  the  Graphite,  and  yet  the  paper  would  be  on 
the  street,  with  the  newsboys  shouting,  "  'Orrible 
scandal,"  before  any  other  evening  journal  was 
visible.  And  this  was  accomplished  the  following 
day  with  a  precision  truly  admirable. 

Mr.  Stoneham,  with  a  craft  worthy  of  all   com- 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


33 


mendation,  kept  back  from  the  early  issue  a  small 
fraction  of  the  figures  that  were  in  his  possession, 
so  that  he  might  print  them  in  the  so-called  fourth 
edition,  and  thus  put  upon  the  second  lot  of   con- 
tents-bills  sent  out,  in  huge,  startling  black   type, 
"Further  Revelations  of  the  Board  of  Construction 
Scandal ; "  and  his  scathing  leading  article,  in  which 
he  indignantly  demanded  a  Parliamentary  enquiry 
into  the  conduct  of  the  Board,  was  recognised,  even 
by  the  friends  of  that  public  body,  as  having  ser- 
iously shaken  confidence  in  it.     The  reception  of 
the  news  by  the    other   evening  papers  was  most 
flattering.     One  or  two  ignored  it  altogether,  others 
alluded  to  it  as  a  rumour,  that  it  "  alleged  "  so  and 
so,  and  threw  doubts  on  its  truth,  which  was  pre- 
cisely what  Mr.  Stoneham  wished  them  to  do,  as 
he  was  in  a  position  to  prove  the  accuracy  of  his 
statement. 

Promptly  at  five  o'clock  that  afternoon  a  hansom 
containing  Miss  Jennie  Baxter  drove  up  to  the  side 
entrance  of  the  Daily  Bugle  office,  and  the  young 
woman  once  more  accosted  the  Irish  porter,  who 
again  came  out  of  his  den  to  receive  her. 

"  Miss  Baxter  ?  "  said  the  Irishman,  half  by  way 
of  salutation,  and  half  by  way  of  enquiry. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl. 


<   Ml 


:  1  ' 

111  I 

!;l  I 
ii: 


I' 


mP 


34      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"Well,  Mr.  Hardvvick  left  strict  orders  with  ine 
that  if  ye  came,  or,  rather,  that  zv/iin  ye  came,  I 
was  to  conduct  ye  right  up  to  his  room  at  once." 

**  Oh,  that  is  very  satisfactory,"  cried  Miss  Jennie, 
"  and  somewhat  ditferent  from  the  state  of  things 
yesterday." 

"  Indeed,  and  that's  very  true,"  said  the  porter, 
his  voice  sinking.  "  To-day  is  not  like  yesterday  at 
all,  at  all.  There's  been  great  ructions  in  this  office, 
mum  ;  although  what  it's  about,  fly  away  with  me 
if  I  know.  There's  been  runnin'  back  and  forrad, 
an'  a  plentiful  deal  of  language  used.  The  proprie- 
tor himself  has  been  here,  an'  he's  here  now,  an'  Mr. 
Alder  came  out  a  minute  ago  with  his  face  as  white 
as  a  sheet  of  paper.  They  do  be  sayin',"  added  the 
porter,  still  further  lowering  his  voice,  and  pausing 
on  the  stairway,  "  that  Mr.  Hardwick  is  not  goin*  to 
be  the  editor  any  more,  but  that  Mr.  Alder  is  to 
take  his  place.  Anyway,  as  far  as  I  can  tell,  Mr. 
Hardwick  an'  Mr.  Alder  have  had  a  fine  fall  out,  an' 
one  or  other  of  them  is  likely  to  leave  the  paper." 

"  Oh,  dear,  oh,  dear !  "  said  Miss  Jennie,  also 
pausing  on  the  stairs.  "  Is  it  so  serious  as  all 
that?" 

"  Indeed  it  is,  mum,  an'  we  none  of  us  know 
where  we're  standin',  at  all,  at  all." 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


35 


I  I 


The  porter  led  the  way  to  Mr.  Hardwick's  room, 
and  announced  the  visitor. 

"  Ask  her  to  come  in,"  she  heard  the  editor  say, 
and  the  next  instant  the  porter  left  them  alone 
together. 

"Won't  you  sit  down,  Miss  Baxter?"  said  Mr. 
Hardwick,  with  no  trace  of  that  anger  in  his  voice 
which  she  had  expected.  "  I  have  been  waiting  for 
you.  You  said  you  would  be  here  at  five,  and  I 
like  punctuality.  Without  beating  round  the  bush, 
I  suppose  I  may  take  it  for  granted  that  the  Eveti' 
ing  Graphite  is  indebted  to  you  for  what  it  is 
pleased  to  call  the  Board  of  Public  Construction 
scandal?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  young  woman,  seating  herself ; 
"  I  came  up  to  tell  you  that  I  procured  for  the 
Graphite  that  interesting  bit  of  information." 

"  So  I  supposed.  My  colleague,  Henry  Alder, 
saw  Ha/.el  this  afternoon  at  the  offices  of  the  Board. 
TJie  good  man  Hazel  is  panic-stricken  at  the  explo- 
sion he  has  caused,  and  is  in  a  very  nervous  state 
of  mind,  more  especially  when  he  learned  that  his 
documents  had  gone  to  an  unexpected  quarter. 
Fortunately  for  him,  the  offices  of  the  Board  are 
thronged  with  journalists  who  want  to  get  state- 
ments from  this  man  or  the  other  regarding  the  ex- 


n 


I! 


■^  ■> 


Ml 


ll 


ii  :' 


|i 

ililliii  ! 

i 

ii 


36       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

posure,  and  so  the  visit  of  Alder  to  Ha^el  was  not 
likely  to  be  noticed  or  commented  upon.  Hazel 
gave  a  graphic  description  of  the  handsome  young 
woman  who  had  so  cleverly  wheedled  the  docu- 
ments from  him,  and  who  paid  the  exact  sum  agreed 
upon  in  the  exact  way  that  it  was  to  have  been  paid. 
Alder  had  not  seen  you,  and  has  not  the  slightest 
idea  how  the  important  news  slipped  through  his 
fingers ;  but  when  he  told  me  what  had  happened,  I 
knew  at  once  you  were  the  goddess  of  the  machine, 
therefore  I  have  been  waiting  for  you.  May  I  be 
permitted  to  express  the  opinion  that  you  didn't 
play  your  cards  at  all  well.  Miss  Baxter?" 

"  No.  I  think  I  played  my  cards  very  much  bet- 
ter than  you  played  yours,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  institutii<g  any  comparison,  and 
am  not  at  all  setting  myself  up  as  a  model  of  strat- 
egy. I  admit  that,  having  the  right  cards  in  my 
hands,  I  played  them  exceedingly  badly ;  but  then, 
you  understand,  I  thought  I  was  sure  of  an  exclu- 
sive bit  of  news." 

"  No  news  is  exclusive,  Mr.  Hardwick,  until  it  is 
printed,  and  out  in  the  streets,  and  the  other  papers 
haven't  got  it." 

"  That  is  very  true,  and  has  all  the  conciseness  of 
an  adage,     I  would  like  to  ask,  Miss  Baxter,  how 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


37 


much  the  Graphite  paid  you  for  that  article  over 
and  above  the  fifty  pounds  you  gave  to  Hazel?" 

"  Oh !  it  wasn't  a  question  of  money  with  me  ; 
the  subject  hasn't  even  been  discussed.  Mr.  Stone- 
ham  Is  not  a  generous  paymaster,  and  that  is  why  I 
desire  to  get  on  a  paper  which  does  not  count  the 
cost  too  closely.  What  I  wished  to  do  was  to 
convince  you  that  I  would  be  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  Btigle  staff  ;  for  you  seemed  to  be  of  opinion 
that  the  staff  was  already  sufficient  and  complete." 

"  Oh,  my  staff  is  not  to  blame  in  this  matter ;  I 
alone  am  to  blame  in  being  too  sure  of  my  ground, 
and  not  realising  the  danger  of  delay  in  such  a  case. 
But  if  you  had  brought  the  document  to  me,  you 
would  have  found  me  by  far  your  best  customer. 
You  would  have  convinced  me  quite  as  effectually 
as  you  have  done  now  that  you  are  a  very  alert 
young  woman,  and  I  certainly  would  have  been 
willing  to  give  you  four  or  five  times  as  much  as 
the  Graphite  will  be  able  to  pay." 

"To  tell  the  truth,  I  thought  of  that  as  I  stood 
here  yesterday,  but  I  saw  you  v.ere  a  very  difficult 
man  to  deal  with  or  to  convince,  and  I  dared  not 
take  the  risk  of  letting  you  know  I  had  the  news. 
You  might  very  easily  have  called  in  Mr.  Alder, 
told  him  that  Hazel  had  given  up  the  documents, 


i-" 


I:  !!i 


it 

i  I  i 


11  lill 


!';i;i 


38       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

and  sent  him  flying  to  Brixton,  where  very  likely 
the  clerk  has  a  duplicate  set.  It  would  have  been 
too  late  to  get  the  sensation  into  any  other  morn- 
ing paper,  and,  even  if  it  were  not  too  late,  you 
would  have  had  something  about  the  sensation  in 
the  Bugle,  and  so  the  victory  would  not  have  been 
as  complete  as  it  is  now.  No,  I  could  not  take 
such  a  risk.     I  thought  it  all  out  very  carefully." 

"You  credit  us  with  more  energy,  Miss  .Baxter, 
than  we  possess.  I  can  assure  you  that  if  you  had 
come  here  at  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  with  the  docu- 
ments, I  should  have  been  compelled  to  purchase 
them  from  you.  However,  that  is  all  past  and 
done  with,  and  there  is  no  use  in  our  saying  any- 
thing more  about  it.  I  am  willing  to  take  all  the 
blame  for  our  defeat  on  my  shoulders,  but  there 
are  some  other  things  I  am  not  willing  to  do,  and 
perhaps  you  are  in  a  position  to  clear  up  a  httie 
misunderstanding  that  has  arisen  in  this  office.  I 
suppose  I  may  take  it  for  granted  that  you  over- 
heard the  conversation  which  took  place  between  Mr. 
Alder  and  myself  in  this  room  yesterday  afternoon  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Miss  Baxter,  for  the  first  time  in 
some  confusion,  **  I  can  assure  you  th.  t  I  did  not 
come  herewith  the  intention  of  listen. ng  to  any- 
thing.    I  came  into  the  next  room  by  myself  for 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


39 


the  purpose  of  getting  to  isce  you  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. While  not  exactly  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
the  Evening  Graphite,  that  paper  nevertheless  takes 
about  all  the  work  I  am  able  to  do,  and  so  I  con- 
sider myself  bound  to  keep  my  eyes  and  ears  open 
on  its  behalf  wherever  I  am." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  censure  you  at  all,"  said 
Hardwick ;  "  I  merely  wish  to  be  certain  how  the 
thing  was  done.  As  I  said,  I  am  willing  to  take 
the  blame  entirely  on  my  own  shoulders.  I  don't 
think  I  should  have  made  use  of  information 
obtained  in  that  way  myself ;  still,  I  am  not  ven- 
turing to  find  fault  with  you  for  doing  so." 

"  To  find  fault  with  me ! "  cried  Miss  Jennie, 
somewhat  warmly,  "  that  would  be  the  pot  calling 
the  kettle  black,  indeed.  Why,  what  better  were 
you  ?  You  were  bribing  a  poor  man  to  furnish  you 
with  statistics,  which  he  was  very  reluctant  to  let 
you  have ;  yet  you  overcame  his  scruples  with 
money,  quite  willing  that  he  should  risk  his  liveli- 
hood, so  long  as  you  got  the  news.  If  you  ask  me, 
I  don't  see  very  much  difference  in  our  positions, 
and  I  must  say  that  if  two  men  take  the  risk  of 
talking  aloud  about  a  secret,  with  a  door  open  lead- 
ing to  another  room,  which  may  be  empty  or  may 
be  not,  then  they  are  two  very  foolish  persons." 


I'll 


^!; 


1^ 


■(  ''li 


I! 


40       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

**  Oh,  quite  so,  quite  so,"  answered  Hardwick, 
soothingly.  "  I  have  already  disclaimed  the  crit- 
ical attitude.  The  point  I  wish  to  be  sure  of  is 
this — you  overheard  the  conversation  between 
Alder  and  myself?" 

"Yes,  I  did." 

"  Would  you  be  able  to  repeat  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  could  repeat  it  word  for 
word,  but  I  could  certainly  give  the  gist  of  it." 

"  Would  you  have  any  objection  to  telling  a  gen- 
tleman whom  I  shall  call  in  a  moment,  as  nearly  as 
possible  what  Alder  said  and  what  I  said  ?  I  may 
add  that  the  gentleman  I  speak  of  is  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead, and  he  is  practically  the  proprietor  of  this 
paper.  There  has  arisen  between  Mr.  Alder  and 
myself  a  slight  divergence  of  memory,  if  I  may  call 
it  so,  and  it  seems  that  you  are  the  only  person  who 
can  settle  the  dispute." 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  tell  what  I  heard  to 
anybody." 

•'  Thank  you." 

Mr.  Hardwick  pressed  an  electric  button,  and  his 
secretary  came  in  from  another  room. 

"  Would  you  ask  Mr.  Hempstead  to  step  this 
way,  if  he  is  in  his  room  ?  " 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Hempstead  entered,  bowed 


w. 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


4t 


somewhat  stiffly  towards  the  lady,  but  froze  up  in- 
stantly when  he  heard  that  she  was  the  person  who 
had  given  the  Board  of  Public  Construction  scandal 
to  the  Evening  Graphite. 

"  I  have  just  this  moment  learned,  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead, that  Miss  Baxter  was  in  the  adjoining  room 
when  Alder  and  I  were  talking  over  this  matter. 
She  heard  the  conversation.  I  have  not  asked  her 
to  repeat  it,  but  sent  for  you  at  once,  and  she  says 
she  is  willing  to  answer  any  questions  you  may  ask." 

"  In  that  case,  Mr.  Hardwick,  wouldn't  it  be  well 
to  have  Henry  Alder  here  ?  " 

"Certainly,  if  he  is  on  the  premises."  Then, 
turning  to  his  secretary,  he  said,  "  Would  you  find 
out  if  Mr.  Alder  is  in  his  room?  Tell  him  Mr. 
Hempstead  wishes  to  see  him  here." 

When  Henry  Alder  came  in,  and  the  secretary 
had  disappeared,  Miss  Baxter  saw  at  once  that  she 
was  in  an  unenviable  situation,  for  it  was  quite  ev- 
ident the  three  men  were  scarcely  on  speaking 
terms  with  each  other.  Nothing  causes  such  a 
state  of  tension  in  a  newspaper  office  as  the  missing 
of  a  piece  of  news  that  is  important. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  better,"  suggested  Hard- 
wick, "  if  Miss  Baxter  would  repeat  the  conversation 
as  she  heard  it." 


42       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


m 


¥ 


"  I  don't  sec  the  use  of  that,"  s.iid  Mr.  IKnip- 
stead.  "  There  is  only  one  point  at  issue.  Did 
Mr.  Alder  warn  Mr.  Hardwick  that  by  delay  he 
would  lose  the  publication  of  this  report?  " 

"  Hardly  that,"  answered  the  girl.  "  As  I  re- 
member it,  he  said,  '  Isn't  there  a  danger  that  some 
other  paper  may  get  this? '  Mr.  Hardwick  replied, 
'  I  don't  think  so.  Not  for  three  days,  at  least  '  ; 
and  then  Mr.  Alder  said,  '  Very  good,'  or  '  Very 
well,*  or  something  like  that." 

"  That  quite  tallies  with  my  own  remembrance," 
assented  Hardwick.  "  I  admit  I  am  to  blame,  but 
I  decidedly  say  that  I  was  not  definitely  warned 
by  Mr.  Alder  that  the  matter  would  be  lost  to  us." 

"I  told  you  it  would  be  lost  if  you  delayed," 
cried  Alder,  with  the  emphasis  of  an  angry  man, 
"  and  it  /las  been  lost.  I  have  been  on  the  track  of 
this  for  two  weeks,  and  it  is  very  galling  to  have 
missed  it  at  the  last  moment  through  no  fault  of 
my  own." 

"Still,"  said  Mr.  Hempstead,  coldly,  "  your  ver- 
sion of  the  conversation  does  not  quite  agree  with 
what  Miss  Baxter  says." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Alder,  "  I  never  pretended  to 
give  the  exact  words.  I  warned  him,  and  he  did 
not  heed  the  warning." 


ii 


Ilcmp- 
:.  Did 
:1ay  he 

IS  T  re- 
:it  some 
replied, 
least '  ; 
r  'Very 

brance," 
ime,  but 
warned 
t  to  us." 
clayed," 
ry  man, 
track  of 
to  have 
fault  of 

^our  ver- 
rrcc  with 

ended  to 
d  he  did 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


43 


"  You  admit,  then,  that  Miss  Baxter's  remem- 
brance of  the  conversation  is  correct?  " 

"  It  is  practically  correct.  I  do  not  stickle  about 
words." 

*'  But  you  did  stickle  about  words  an  hour  ago," 
said  Mr.  Hempstead,  with  some  severity.  "  There 
is  a  difference  in  positively  stating  that  the  item 
would  be  lost  and  in  merely  suggesting  that  it 
might  be  lost." 

"  Oh,  have  it  as  you  wish,"  said  Alder,  truculently. 
**  It  doesn't  matter  in  the  least  to  me.  It  is  very 
provoking  to  work  hard  for  two  weeks,  and  then 
have  everything  nullified  by  a  foolish  decision  from 
the  editor.  However,  as  I  have  said,  it  doesn't 
matter  to  me.  I  have  taken  service  on  the  Daily 
Trumpet,  and  you  may  consider  my  place  on  the 
Bugle  vacant " — saying  which,  the  irate  Mr.  Alder 
put  his  hat  on  his  head  and  left  the  room. 

Mr.  Hempstead  seemed  distressed  by  the  discus- 
sion, but,  for  the  first  time,  Mr.  Hardwick  smiled 
grimly. 

"  I  always  insist  on  accuracy,"  he  said,  "  and 
lack  of  it  is  one  of  Alder's  failings." 

*'  Nevertheless,  Mr.  Hardwick,  you  have  lost  one 
of  your  best  men.  How  are  you  going  to  replace 
him  ?  "  enquired  the  proprietor,  anxiously. 


KA 


i 


h! 


I  I 


1  :V' 


44       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  There  is  little  difficulty  in  replacing  even  the 
best  man  on  any  staff  in  London,"  replied  Hard- 
wick,  with  a  glance  at  Miss  Baxter.  "As  this 
young  lady  seems  to  keep  her  wits  about  her  when 
the  welfare  of  her  paper  is  concerned,  I  shall,  if  you 
have  no  objection,  fill  Henry  Alder's  place  with 
Miss  Baxter." 

Mr.  Hempstead  arched  his  eyebrows  a  trifle,  and 
looked  at  the  girl  in  some  doubt. 

"  I  thought  you  didn't  believe  in  women  journal- 
ists, Mr.  Hardwick,"  he  murmured  at  last. 

"I  didn't  up  till  to-day,  but  since  the  evening 
papers  came  out  I  have  had  reason  to  change  my 
mind.  I  should  much  rather  have  Miss  Baxter  for 
me  than  against  me." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  fill  the  position.  Miss 
Baxter  ?  "  asked  the  proprietor,  doubtingly. 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  the  girl.  "  I  have 
long  wanted  a  place  on  a  well-edited  paper  like  the 
Bugler 

Again  Mr.  Hardwick  smiled  grimly.  The  propri- 
etor turned  to  him,  and  said,  *'  I  don't  quite  see, 
Mr.  Hardwick,  what  a  lady  can  do  on  this  paper- 
outside  of  the  regular  departments." 

"  I  hardly  think  there  will  be  any  trouble  about 
that,  Mr.  Hempstead.     For  example,  who  could  be 


i 


I. 

til    <<': 


A  FRIGHTENED  OFFICIAL. 


45 


better  equipped  to  attempt  the  solution  of  that 
knotty  question  about  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer's  diamonds?" 

"  By  Jove !  "  cried  Hempstead,  his  eyes  glittering 
with  excitement.  "That  is  an  inspiration.  I  im- 
agine that  if  any  one  can  unravel  the  mystery,  it  is 
Miss  Baxter." 


'V     1 


+ 
^ 


I 


CHAPTER  IV. 


JENNIE     LEARNS    ABOUT  THE    DIAMONDS    OF  THE 

PRINCESS. 

"  What  about  the  diamonds  of  the  Princess  ?  " 
asked  Miss  Baxter,  her  curiosity  piqued  by  the  re- 
mark of  the  editor. 

"  That  is  rather  a  long  story,"  replied  Mr.  Hard- 
wick,  "  and  before  I  begin  it,  I  would  like  to  ask 
you  one  or  two  questions.  Can  you  manipulate  a 
typewriter  ?  " 

•'  That  depends  on  what  make  it  is.  The  ordi- 
nary typewriter  I  understand  very  thoroughly." 

"Good.  Have  you  any  knowledge  of  short- 
hand ?  " 

"  A  workable  knowledge  ;  I  can  write  about  one 
hundred  words  a  minute." 

"Admirable!  admirable!  Your  coming  to  this 
office  was  indeed  an  inspiration,  as  Mr.  Hempstead 
remarked.  You  are  just  the  person  I  have  been 
looking  for." 

"You  didn't  seem  to  think  so  yesterday,  Mr. 
Hardwick,"  said  the  girl, with  a  sly  glance  at  him, 


JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  DIAMONDS.  47 


THE 


this 
)stead 
been    \ 


"  Well,  many  things  have  happened  since  yester- 
day. We  are  now  dealing  with  to-day,  and  with  the 
Princess  von  Steinheimer." 

"  She  is  a  German  princess,  of  course  ?'* 

"  An  Austrian  princess,  but  an  American  woman. 
She  was  a  Miss  Briggs  of  Chicago ;  a  daughter  of 
Briggs,  the  railway  millionaire,  worth  somewhere 
between  twenty  and  twenty-five  millions — dollars, 
of  course.  A  year  or  two  ago  she  married  Prince 
Konrad  von  Steinheimer ;  you  may  remember  hav- 
ing read  about  it  in  the  papers?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  the  usual  international  match — the 
girl  after  the  title,  he  after  the  money." 

"  I  suppose  so  ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  she  is  the 
only  daughter  of  old  Briggs,  and  had  spent  a  good 
deal  of  her  time  in  Europe,  but  she  spent  more 
than  time ;  she  spent  the  old  man's  money  as  well, 
so  during  her  stay  in  Europe  she  accumulated  a 
vast  stock  of  diamonds,  some  of  them  very  notable 
stones.  I  don't  know  what  the  whole  collection  is 
worth ;  some  say  a  million  dollars,  while  others  say 
double  that  amount.  However  that  may  be,  Miss 
Briggs  became  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer,  and 
brought  to  Austria  with  her  a  million  dollars  in 
gold  and  the  diamonds,  which  her  father  gave  as 
dowry;  but,  of  course,  being  an  only  child,  she  will 


48       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

come  in  for  the  rest  of  his  money  when  the  railway 
magnate  dies." 

"  Is  he  likely  to  die  soon  ?  I  don't  suppose  the 
Prince  gave  himself  away  for  a  mere  million." 

"  Oh,  you  forget  the  diamonds.  As  to  the  likeli- 
hood of  old  Briggs's  death,  it  didr.'t  strike  me  as 
imminent  when  I  had  a  conversation  with  him 
yesterday." 

"  Yesterday  ?     Is  he  here  in  London,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  has  come  over  to  disentangle  the 
mystery  about  the  diamonds." 

**  And  what  is  the  mystery  ?  You  take  a  dread- 
ful long  time  to  tell  a  story,  Mr.  Hardwick." 

"  The  story  is  important,  and  it  must  be  told  in 
detail,  otherwise  you  may  go  on  a  long  journey  for 
nothing.  Are  you  taking  down  what  I  say  in 
shorthand  ?  That  is  right,  and  if  you  are  wise  you 
will  not  transcribe  your  notes  so  that  anyone  can 
read  them ;  they  are  safer  in  that  form.  The  von 
Steinheimer  family  have  two  residences,  a  house  in 
Vienna  and  an  ancient  castle  in  the  Tyrol,  situated 
on  the  heights  above  Meran,  a  most  picturesque 
place,  I  understand ;  but  very  shortly  you  will 
know  more  about  it  than  I  do,  because  the  Bugle 
expects  you  to  go  there  as  its  special  correspondent. 
Here  the  diamond  robbery  took  place  something 


lit 


ll'i' 


JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  DIAMONDS.  49 

like  two  months  ago,  and  the  affair  is  still  as  great 
a  mystery  as  ever.  The  Princess  was  to  open  the 
season  at  Meran,  which  is  a  fashionable  resort,  by 
giving  a  fancy  dress  ball  in  Schloss  Steinheimer,  to 
which  all  the  Austrian  and  foreign  notables  were 
invited.  It  was  just  before  the  ball  began  that  the 
diamonds  were  first  missed — in  fact,  the  Princess 
was  about  to  put  them  on,  she  representing  some 
gorgeously  decorated  character  from  the  Arabian 
Nights,  when  the  discovery  was  made  that  the 
diamonds  were  gone.  She  was  naturally  very 
much  upset  over  her  loss,  and  sent  at  once  for  the 
Prince,  her  husband,  insisting  that  the  police 
should  be  notified  immediately  and  detectives 
called  in,  as  was  perfectly  natural.  Now  here 
comes  a  strange  feature  of  the  affair,  and  this  is 
that  the  Prince  positively  forbade  any  publicity, 
refusing  his  sanction  when  she  demanded  that  the 
police  should  be  informed,  and  yet  the  Prince  knew 
better  than  anyone  else  the  very  considerable  value 
of  the  stones." 

"  What  reason  did  he  give  for  his  refusal  ? " 
asked  Miss  Baxter,  looking  up  from  her  notes. 

"  I  am  not  quite  certain  about  that ;  but  I  think 
he  said  it  was  infra  dig.  for  the  Steinheimers  to 
call  in  the  police.     Anyhow,  it  was  an  excuse  which 


^ 


1 


-T^ 


50       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

did  not  satisfy  the  Princess ;  but  as  guests  were 
arriving,  and  as  it  was  desirable  that  there  should 
be  no  commotion  to  mar  the  occasion,  the  Princess 
temporarily  yielded  to  the  wish  of  her  h-isband, 
and  nothing  was  said  publicly  about  the  robber^ 
The  great  ball  was  the  talk  of  Meran  for  several 
days,  and  no  one  suspected  the  private  trouble  that 
was  going  on  underneath  thi  lotable  event.  Dur- 
ing these  several  days  the  Princess  insisted  that 
the  aid  of  the  police  should  be  invoked,  and  the 
Prince  was  equally  strenuous  that  nothing  should 
be  said  or  done  about  the  matter.  Then,  quite 
unexpectedly,  the  Prince  veered  completely  round, 
and  proclaimed  that  he  would  engage  the  best 
detectives  in  Europe.  Strange  to  say,  when  he 
announced  this  decision  to  his  wife,  she  had  veered 
round  also,  and  opposed  the  calling  in  of  the  de- 
tectives as  strenuously  as  he  had  done  heretofore." 

"  What  reason  did  she  give  for  her  change  of 
front  ?  "  asked  Miss  Jennie. 

*'  She  said,  I  believe,  that  it  was  now  too  late ; 
that  the  thieves,  whoever  they  were,  had  had  time  to 
make  away  with  their  plunder,  and  there  would 
merely  be  a  fuss  and  worry  for  nothing." 

"  Do  you  know,  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  her," 
asserted  the  girl. 


JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  DIAMONDS.  51 

"  Are  you  ?  Then  tell  me  what  you  think  of  the 
case  as  far  as  you  have  got." 

"What  do ^<7«  think?" 

"  I  shan't  tell  you  at  this  stage,  because  I  know 
of  further  particulars  which  I  will  give  you  later  on. 
I  merely  want  your  opinion  now,  so  that  I  may  see 
whether  what  I  have  to  tell  you  afterwards  modifies 
it  in  any  way." 

"Well,  to  me  the  case  looks  decidedly  dark 
against  the  Prince." 

"  That  is  what  Mr.  Briggs  thinks.  He  imagines 
his  Highness  has  the  jewels." 

"  Where  did  you  get  all  these  particulars?" 

*'  From  Mr.  Briggs,  who,  of  course,  got  them  by 
letter  from  his  daughter." 

"Then  we  have,  as  it  were,  a  one-sided  state- 
ment." 

"  Oh,  quite  so ;  but  still  you  must  remember  the 
Princess  does  not  in  the  least  suspect  her  husband 
of  the  theft." 

"  Well,  please  go  on.  What  are  the  further  par- 
ticulars?" 

"The  further  particulars  are  that  the  Prince 
made  some  quiet  investigations  among  the  servants, 
and  he  found  that  there  was  a  man  who,  although 
he  was  a  friend  of  his  own,    was  much  more    the 


,i?'! 


52       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

frieiid  of  tbe  Princess,  and  tliis  man  had,  on  the  day 
t'.e  ball  was  given,  the  entire  freedom  of  the  castle. 
He  is  a  young  ofificer  and  a  nobleman,  Lieutenant 
von  Schaumberg,  and  the  Prince  knew  that  this 
young  man  was  being  hard  pressed  i'or  some  de jts 
of  honoiiv  which  he  did  not  appear  to  be  in  a  position 
to  liquidate.  The  young  man  went  unexpectedly 
to  Vienna  the  day  after  the  bail,  and  on  his  return 
settled  his  obligations.  The  Princess,  froir.  one  of 
her  women  got  word  of  her  husband's  suspicion. 
She  went  to  the  Prince  at  once,  and  told  him  she 
had  come  to  his  own  opinion  with  regard  to  the 
lost  diamonds.  She  would,  in  no  circumstances, 
have  detectives  about  the  place.  Then  he  told  her 
that  he  had  also  changed  hii  mind,  and  resolved  to 
engage  detectives.  So  here  they  were  at  a  dead- 
lock again.  She  wrote  to  her  father  with  great  in- 
dignation about  the  Prince's  unjust  suspicions, 
saying  von  Schaumberg  was  a  gentleman  m  every 
sense  of  the  word.  I  gather  that  relations  between 
herself  and  her  husband  are  somewhat  strained,  so 
I  imagine  there  is  much  more  in  this  matter  than 
the  lost  diamonds." 

"  You  imagine,  then,  that  she  is  shielding  the 
Lieutenant  ?  " 

"Candidly,  I  do." 


the 


JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  DIAMONDS.  53 

"  And  you  are  of  opinion  he  stole  the  diamonds  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you.  I  still  think  it  was  the 
Prince,  and  I  think  besides  this,  that  he  dexterously 
managed  to  throw  suspicion  on  the  Lieutenant. 
Have  they  called  in  the  detectives  yet  ?" 

"  No,  they  are  at  a  deadlock,  as  I  remarked 
before." 

"  Weil,  what  am  I  expected  to  do  ?  " 

"Mr.  Briggs  cabled  to  his  daughter — he  never 
writes  a  letter — that  he  would  come  over  and 
straighten  out  the  tangle  in  fifteen  minutes.  He  is 
certain  the  Prince  stole  the  diamonds,  but  he  did 
not  tell  his  daughter  so.  He  informed  her  he  was 
bringing  her  a  present  of  a  new  typewriting  ma- 
chine, and  also  a  young  woman  from  Chicago  who 
could  write  shorthand  and  would  look  after  the 
Princess's  correspondence — act  as  secretary  in  fact ; 
for  it  seems  the  Princess  has  a  larger  correspon- 
dence than  she  can  reasonably  attend  to,  and  she 
appears  therefore  to  yearn  for  a  typewriter.  The 
old  ma.  tells  me  she  is  very  careless  about  her 
letters,  »  ver  being  able  to  find  anything  she  wants 
and  lea.-  ^^  them  about  a  good  deal,  so  he  thinks 
she  needs  someone  to  look  after  her  affaii  3 ;  and  I 
have  a  suspicion  that  her  father  fears  she  may  leave 


54       JKNNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


lii 


some  compromising   letter  about,  so  he  wishes  to 
ward  off  a  divorce  case." 

"  No,  I  fancy  you  are  mistaken  there.  The  father 
hasn't  the  slightest  idea  that  there  can  be  anything 
wrong  with  his  daughter.  It  is  probable  the  Prin- 
cess has  written  some  libellous  statements  about  her 
husband,  and  it  is  quite  likely  the  Prince  is  a  brute 
and  that  young  von  Schaumberg  is  a  most  charm- 
ing person." 

"Well,  as  I  was  saying,"  continued  Hardwick, 
"  the  old  man  cabled  lis  daughter  that  he  is  bring- 
ing her  a  sccretaiy  and  a  typewriter.  He  engaged 
a  female  Pinkerton  detective  to  enter  the  castle  as 
secretary  to  the  Princess  and,  if  possible,  to  solve 
the  diamond  mystery.  She  is  a  young  woman  who, 
when  she  left  Chicago,  was  very  anti-English,  but 
she  became  acquainted  on  the  steamer  with  a 
young  Englishman  who  was  tremendously  taken 
with  her,  and  so  at  Liverpool  she  quite  calmly 
broke  her  engagement  with  the  old  man  and  ful- 
filled a  new  engagement  she  had  made  with  the 
young  man  by  promptly  marrying  him — special 
license,  I  am  told.  Old  Briggs  has  therefore  a  new 
typewriting  machine  on  his  hands,  and  so  I  am  go- 
ing to  propose  to  you  that  you  take  the  place  of 
the  Chicago  Pinkerton  person.     Briggs  has  become 


III 

IfX' 


iiin 

ji 


JENNIE  LEARNS  ABOUT  DIAMONDS.  55 

so  disgusted  with  all  these  detective  women  that  he 
abandoned  the  idea  of  sending  a  female  detective 
with  the  machine,  and  doesn't  imagine  that  whoever 
is  sent  will  be  either  a  detective  or  a  newspaper 
woman.  I  was  introduced  to  him  the  other  day  by 
one  of  those  lucky  chances  which  sometimes  put  in- 
teresting items  of  news  in  our  way,  and  he  told  me 
the  whole  story,  requesting  me  to  recommend  some- 
one who  wrote  shorthand  and  understood  the  type- 
writer. I  am  to  dine  with  him  this  evening,  and  I 
shall  cordially  recommend  you.  I  may  say  that 
Briggs  has  gone  to  that  celebrated  London  detec- 
tive, Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor,  and  has  engaged  him  to 
solve  the  diamond  mystery.  So  you  see  you  will 
have  a  clear  field.  If  you  can  leave  for  the  castle 
to-morrow  night,  you  may  have  the  pleasure  of  Mr. 
Cadbury  Taylor's  company.  He  isn't  visiting  the 
castle,  but  goes  straight  to  Vienna ;  so  if  you  work 
your  cards  rightly,  you  can  be  in  the  same  carriage 
with  him  as  far  as  Munich,  and  during  that  time 
you  may  find  out,  perhaps,  what  he  thinks  about  the 
case.  I  know  only  this  much  about  his  theory,  and 
that  is,  he  thinks  the  right  place  to  begin  is  in 
Vienna,  where  some,  at  least,  of  the  stones  are 
supposed  to  have  been  pawned." 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  delightful  case,  and  I  shall  enjoy 


i    i 


56      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


it.     Has  there  been  anything  published  yet  with 
reference  to  the  robbery  ?  " 

"  Not  a  word  ;  nobody  knows  anything  about  it, 
except  the  Prince  and  Princess,  Briggs,  myself  and 
yourself,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  of  the  servants  in 
the  castle — oh,  yes,  and  Cadbury  Taylor." 


»MHt 


CHAPTER  V. 

JEI^NIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE. 

Miss  Baxter  was  early  at  the  station  before  the 
Continental  train  left.  She  walked  up  and  down 
the  platform  hoping  to  see  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor, 
with  whose  face  and  form  she  was  familiar.  She 
secured  a  porter  who  spoke  French,  and  pretended 
to  him  that  she  knew  no  English. 

"  I  desire,"  she  said,  "  to  get  into  a  first-class 
compartment  with  a  gentleman  whom  I  shall  point 
out  to  you.  I  shall  give  you  five  shillings,  so  you 
must  let  me  have  your  whole  attention.  My  lug- 
gage has  been  labelled  and  registered,  therefore  you 
will  not  need  to  bother  about  it,  but  keep  your  eye 
on  me  and  follow  me  into  whatever  carriage  I  enter, 
bringing  with  you  the  hand-bag  and  this  heavy 
package." 

The  heavy  package  was  a  typewriter  in  its  case. 
Shortly  before  the  train  departed,  there  sauntered 
into  the  station  the  tall,  thin,  well-known  form  of 
the  celebrated  detective.  He  wore  a  light  ulster 
that  reached  almost  to  his  heels,  and  his  keen,  alert 


i 


t  -     1 


58       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

face  was  entirely  without  beard  or  moustache.  As 
he  came  up  the  platform,  a  short,  stout  man  ac- 
co:,tedhim. 

"  I  was  afraid  you  were  going  to  be  late,"  said  the 
detective's  friend,  '*  but  I  see  you  are  just  ui  time,  as 
usual." 

"  A  railway  station,"  said  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor, 
"  is  not  the  most  inspiring  place  in  London  for  the 
spending  of  a  spare  half  hour ;  besides,  I  had  some 
facts  to  get  together,  which  are  now  tabulated  in 
my  note-book,  and  I'm  quite  ready  to  go,  if  the 
train  is." 

"  I  have  secured  a  smoking  compartment  here, 
where  we  shall  be  alone." 

"That's  right.  Smith,"  said  Cadbury  Taylor. 
*'  You  are  always  so  thoughtful,"  and  the  two  men 
entered  the  compartment  together. 

Just  as  the  guards  were  shouting,  "  Take  your 
seats,  please,"  Miss  Baxter  made  a  bolt  for  the  com- 
partment in  which  the  detective  and  his  friend  sat 
together  in  opposite  corners. 

"  I  beg  you  pardon,"  said  Smith,  "  this  is  a  smok- 
ing compartment." 

The  lady  replied  to  him  volubly  in  French,  and 
next  instant  the  porter  heaved  the  typewriter  and 
hand-bag  on  the  seat  beside  her.     Smith  seemed  to 


/ 


JENNIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE.   59 

resent  the  intrusion,  and  appeared  about  to  blame 
the  porter,  but  the  man  answered  rapidly  as  he 
banged  the  door  shut,  "  The  lady  doesn't  speak  any 
English,"  and  the  next  moment  the  train  moved 
out  of  the  station. 

"  There  was  no  need,"  said  the  detective,  "  my 
dear  Smith,  to  depend  upon  the  porter  for  the  in- 
formation that  the  lady  could  not  speak  English. 
She  is  the  secretary  to  a  very  rich  employer  in 
Chicago,  and  came  from  that  city  to  New  York, 
where  she  sailed  on  the  Servia  alone,  coming  to 
England  to  transact  some  special  business,  of  which 
I  could  give  you  full  particulars,  if  it  were  worth 
while.  She  came  from  Liverpool  to  London  over 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  and  is  now  on  her  way 
to  Paris.  All  this,  of  course,  is  obvious  to  the  most 
casual  observer,  and  so,  my  dear  Smith,  we  may 
discuss  our  case  with  as  much  security  as  though  we 
were  entirely  alone." 

"  But,  good  heavens,  Cadbury  !  "  cried  Smith,  in 
amazement,  "  how  can  you  tell  all  that  ?  " 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  said  the  detective  wearily,  "no 
one  travels  with  a  typewriting  machine  unless  that 
person  is  a  typewriter.  The  girl,  if  you  will  notice, 
is  now  engaged  in  filling  the  leaves  of  her  book 
with  shorthand,  therefore,  that  proves  her  occupa- 


m 


Ir 


m 


lifl 


1 1'    ^ 


I 


60      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

tion.  That  she  is  secretary  to  a  rich  man  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  she  crossed  in  the  Servia 
first  cabin,  as  you  may  see  by  glancing  at  the  label 
on  the  case  ;  that  she  came  alone,  which  is  to  say 
her  employer  was  not  with  her,  is  indicated  by  the 
typewriter  being  marked  '  Not  Wanted,'  so  it  was 
put  down  into  the  hold.  If  a  Chicago  business  man 
had  been  travelling  with  his  secretary,  the  typewriter 
case  would  have  been  labelled  instead,  *  Cabin, 
Wanted,'  for  a  Chicago  man  of  business  would  have 
to  write  some  hundreds  of  letters,  even  on  the  ocean, 
to  be  ready  for  posting  the  moment  he  came  ashore. 
The  typewriter  case  is  evidently  new,  and  is  stamped 
with  the  name  and  address  of  its  sellers  in  Chicago. 
That  she  came  by  the  Great  Western  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  *  Chester '  appears  on  still  another  label. 
That  she  has  special  business  in  England  we  may 
well  believe,  otherwise  she  would  have  crossed  on 
the  French  line  direct  from  New  York  to  Havre. 
So  you  see,  my  dear  boy,  these  are  all  matters  of 
observation,  and  quite  patent  to  anyone  who  cares 
to  use  his  eyes." 

"  Yes,  it  all  seems  very  simple,  now  that  you  have 
explained  it,"  growled  Smith. 

"  I  should  be  a  much  more  mysterious  person  than 
I  am,"  remarked  the  detective,  complacently,  "  if  I 


mf 


JENNIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE.  6i 


did  not  explain  so  much.  This  explanation  habit 
is  becoming  a  vice  with  me,  and  I  fear  I  must 
abandon  it." 

"  I  hope  for  my  sake  you  won't,"  said  Smith, 
more  good-naturedly,  "  for  if  left  to  myself  I  never 
could  find  out  how  you  arrive  at  your  wonderful 
conclusions.  Do  you  expect  the  Austrian  diamond 
mystery  to  prove  difficult  ?  " 

"  Difficult  ?  Oh,  dear  no  !  To  tell  the  truth,  I 
have  solved  it  already,  but  in  order  to  give  the 
American  a  run  for  his  money — and  surely  he  ought 
not  to  object  to  that,  because  he  is  a  millionaire 
who  has  made  his  fortune  by  giving  other  people 
runs  for  their  money,  being  a  railway  man — I  am 
now  on  my  way  to  Vienna.  If  I  solved  the  problem 
off-hand  for  him  in  London,  he  would  have  no  more 
appreciation  of  my  talent  than  you  had  a  moment 
ago  when  I  explained  why  I  knew  this  French  girl 
came  from  Chicago." 

"  You  mustn't  mine  that,  Cadbury,"  said  Smith, 
contritely.  "  I  confess  I  was  irritated  for  a  moment 
because  it  all  seemed  so  simple." 

"  My  dear  fellow,  every  puzzle  in  this  world  is 
simple  except  one,  and  that  is  to  find  any  problem 
which  is  difficult." 

"  Then  who  stole  the  diamonds — the  Lieutenant  ?  " 


m 
ift 


62       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


The  detective  smiled  and  gazed  upwards  for  a  few 
tantalising  moments  at  the  roof  of  the  carriage. 

"  Here  we  have,"  he  said  at  last,  "  an  impecunious 
prince  who  marries  an  American  heiress,  as  so  many 
of  them  do.  The  girl  begins  life  in  Austria  on  one 
million  dollars,  say  two  hundred  thousand  pounds, 
and  a  case  of  diamonds  said  to  be  worth  another 
two  hundred  thousand  at  least — probably  more. 
Not  much  danger  of  running  through  that  very 
speedily,  is  there,  Smith  ?  " 

"  No,  I  should  think  not." 

"  So  the  average  man  would  think,"  continued 
the  detective.  "  However,  I  have  long  since  got 
out  of  the  habit  of  thinking  ;  therefore  I  make  sure. 
The  first  problem  I  set  to  myself  is  this :  How 
much  money  have  the  Prince  and  Princess  spent 
since  they  were  married?  I  find  that  the  repairs 
on  the  Schloss  Steinheimer,  situated  in  the  Tyrol, 
cost  something  like  forty  thousand  pounds.  It  is  a 
huge  place,  and  the  Steinheimers  have  not  had  an 
heiress  in  the  family  for  many  centuries.  The 
Prince  owed  a  good  deal  of  money  when  he  was 
married,  and  it  took  something  like  sixty  thousand 
pounds  to  settle  those  debts ;  rather  expensive  as 
Continental  princes  go,  but  if  one  must  have  luxu- 
ries, one  cannot  save  money.     Not  to  weary  you 


JENNIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE.  63 


)airs 
rrol, 

is  a 
an 
The 

was 
Isand 
re  as 
luxu- 

you 


with  details,  I  found  thrt  the  two  hundred  thousand 
pounds  were  exhausted  somewhat  more  than  two 
months  ago  ;  in  fact,  just  before  the  alleged  robbery. 
The  Prince  is,  of  course,  without  money,  otherwise 
he  would  not  have  married  a  Chicago  heiress,  and 
the  Princess  being  without  money,  what  does  she 
naturally  do  ?  " 

"  Pawns  her  own  diamonds !  "  cried  Smith,  en- 
thusiastically. 

The  detective  smiled. 

"  I  thought  it  much  more  probable  she  would 
apply  to  her  father  for  money.  I  asked  him  if  this 
was  the  case,  giving  him  the  date,  roughly  speaking, 
when  such  a  letter  had  been  sent.  The  old  man 
opened  his  eyes  at  this,  and  told  me  he  had  received 
such  a  letter.  *  But  you  did  not  send  the  money?' 
I  ventured.  *  No,'  he  said,  *  I  did  not.  The  fact  is, 
money  is  very  tight  in  Chicago  just  now,  and  so  I 
cabled  her  to  run  on  her  debts  for  a  while'  This 
exactly  bore  out  the  conclusion  at  which  I  had  al- 
ready arrived.  So  now,  having  failed  to  get  money 
from  her  father,  the  lady  turns  to  her  diamonds,  the 
only  security  she  possesses.  The  chances  are  that 
she  did  so  before  her  father's  cable  message  came, 
and  that  was  the  reason  she  so  confidently  wished 
information  to  be  given  to  the  police.    She  expected 


t     I 


■) 


64       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


to  have  money  to  redeem  her  jewels,  and,  being  a 
bright  woman,  she  knew  the  traditional  stupidity  of 
the  official  police,  ant  o  th  jht  there  was  no  dan- 
ger of  her  little  ruse  bein^^  dv-n.  "ered.  But  when  the 
cable  message  came  sayi;;  ;  no  ui^ney  would  be  sent 
her,  a  different  complexion  was  put  upon  the  whole 
affair,  for  she  did  not  know  but  if  the  police  were 
given  plenty  of  time  they  might  stumble  on  the  dia- 
monds." 

"But,  my  dear  Cadbury,  why  should  she  not  have 
taken  the  diamonds  openly  and  raised  money  on 
them?" 

"  My  dear  fellow,  there  are  a  dozen  reasons,  any 
one  of  which  will  suffice  where  a  woman  is  in  the 
case.  In  the  first  place,  she  might  fear  to  offend 
the  family  pride  of  the  von  Steinheimers ;  in  the 
second  place,  we  cannot  say  what  her  relations  with 
her  husband  were.  She  may  not  have  wished  him 
to  know  that  she  was  short  of  money.  But  that 
she  has  stolen  her  own  diamonds  there  is  not  the 
slightest  question  in  my  mind.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary for  me  to  do  now  is  to  find  out  how  many  per- 
sons there  are  in  Vienna  who  would  lend  large  sums 
of  money  on  valuable  jewels.  The  second  is  to 
find  with  which  one  of  those  the  Princess  pawned 
her  diamonds." 


JENNIE  MEETS  A  GREAT  DETECTIVE.  65 

"But,  my  dear  Cadbury,  the  lady  is  in  Meran, 
and  Vienna  is  some  hundreds  of  miles  away.  How 
could  a  lady  in  the  Tyrol  pawn  diamonds  in  Vienna 
without  her  absence  being  commented  on,  or  do 
you  think  she  had  an  agent  to  do  it  for  her  ?  " 

Again  the  detective  smiled  indulgently. 

"  No,  she  had  no  agent.  The  diamonds  never 
left  Vienj  a.  You  see,  the  ball  had  been  announced, 
and  immediate  money  was  urgently  needed.  She 
pawned  the  diamonds  before  she  left  the  capital  of 
Austria,  and  the  chances  are  she  did  not  intend 
anyone  to  know  the)'  were  missing;  but  on  the 
eve  of  the  ball  her  husband  insisted  that  she  should 
wear  her  diamonds,  and  therefore,  being  a  quick- 
witted woman,  she  announced  they  had  been  stolen. 
After  having  made  such  a  statement,  she,  of  course, 
had  to  stick  to  it ;  and  now,  failing  to  get  the  money 
from  America,  she  is  exceedingly  anxious  that  no 
real  detective  shall  be  employed  in  investigation." 

At  Dover,  Miss  Baxter,  having  notes  of  this  inter- 
esting conversation  in  shorthand,  witnessed  the 
detective  bid  good-bye  to  his  friend  Smith,  who 
returned  to  London  by  a  later  train.  After  that 
she  saw  no  more  of  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor,  and 
reached  the  Schloss  Steinheimer  at  Meran  without 
further  adventure. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


JENNIE  SOLVES  THE  DIAMOND   MYSTERY. 

Miss  Baxter  found  life  at  the  Schloss  much 
different  from  what  she  had  expected.  The 
Princess  was  a  young  and  charming  lady,  very 
handsome,  but  in  a  state  of  constant  depression. 
Once  or  twice  Miss  Baxter  came  upon  her  with  ap- 
parent traces  of  weeping  on  her  face.  The  Prince 
was  not  an  old  man,  as  she  had  inriagined,  but  young 
and  of  a  manly,  stalwart  appearance.  He  evidently 
possessed  a  fiendish  temper,  and  moped  about  the 
castle  with  a  constant  frown  upon  his  brow. 

The  correspondence  of  the  Princess  was  in  the 
utmost  disorder.  There  were  hundreds  upon  hun- 
dreds of  letters,  and  Miss  Baxter  set  to  work 
tabulating  and  arranging  them.  Meanwhile  the 
young  newspaper  woman  kept  her  eyes  open.  She 
wandered  about  the  castle  unmolested,  poked  into 
odd  corners,  talked  with  the  servants,  and,  in  fact, 
with  everyone,  but  never  did  she  come  upon  a  clue 
which  promised  to  lead  to  a  solution  of  the  diamond 
difficulty.     Once  she  penetrated  into  a  turret  room, 


h 
fi 

m 

r 

^v 
fr> 

sa 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


«7 


and  came  unexpectedly  upon  the  Prince,  who  was 
sitting  on  the  window-ledge,  looking  absently  out 
on  the  broad  and  smiling  valley  that  lay  for  miles 
below  the  castle.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stared 
so  fiercely  at  the  intruder  that  the  girl's  heart 
failed  her,  and  she  had  not  even  the  presence  of 
mind  to  turn  and  run. 

**  What  do  you  want  ? "  he  said  to  her  shortly, 
for  he  spoke  English  perfectly.  "You  are  the 
youngf  woman  from  Chicago,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Miss  Baxter,  forgetting  for  the 
moment  the  rdle  she  was  playing ;  **  I  am  from 
London." 

"  Well,  it  doesn't  matter ;  you  are  the  young 
woman  who  is  arranging  my  wife's  correspondence  ?  " 

"Yes." 

The  Prince  strode  rapidly  forward  and  grasped 
her  by  the  wrist,  his  brow  dark  with  a  forbidding 
frown.     He  spoke  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"  Listen,  my  good  girl !  Do  you  want  to  get 
more  money  from  me  than  you  will  get  from  the 
Princess  in  ten  years'  service  ?  Hearken,  then,  to 
what  I  tell  you.  If  there  are  any  letters  from — 
from — men,  will  you  bring  them  to  me  ?  " 

Miss  Baxter  was  thoroughly  frightened,  but  she 
said  to  the  Prince  sharply, — 


i 


■i; 


68       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST, 


;!  •  ;    I 


M 


"  If  you  do  not  let  go  my  wrist,  I'll  scream. 
How  dare  you  lay  your  hand  on  me  ?  " 

The  Prince  released  her  wrist  and  stepped  back. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  said,  "  I'm  a  very  miserable 
man.     Forget  what  I  have  said." 

"  How  can  I  forget  it?  "  cried  the  girl,  gathering 
courage  as  she  saw  him  quail  before  her  blazing 
eyes.     "  What  do  you  want  me  to  do?  " 

"I  want  you  to  bring  to  me  any  letters  written 
by — by " 

"Written  by  von  Schaumberg,"  cried  the  girl, 
noticing  his  hesitation  and  filling  in  the  blank. 

A  red  wave  of  anger  surged  up  in  the  Prince's 

face. 

**  Yes,"  he  cried,  "  bring  me  a  letter  to  her  from 
von  Schaumberg,  and  I'll  pay  you  what  you  ask." 

The  girl  laughed. 

"  Prince,"  she  said,  "  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  call 
you  a  fool.  There  are  no  letters  from  von  Schaum- 
berg, and  I  have  gone  through  the  whole  of  the 
correspondence." 

"  What,  then,  suggested  the  name  von  Schaum- 
berg to  you  ?    Where  did  you  ever  hear  it  before  ?  *' 

"  I  heard  that  you  suspected  him  of  stealing  the 
diamonds." 

**  And  so  he  did,  the  cowardly  thief.    If  it  were 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


the 


the 


not  for  mixing  the  Princess's  name  with  such  car- 
rion as  he,  I  would — " 

But  the  Prince  in  his  rage  stamped  up  and  down 
the  room  without  saying  what  he  would  do.  Miss 
Baxter  quickly  brought  him  to  a  standstill. 

"It  is  contrary  to  my  duty  to  the  Princess,"  she 
began,  hesitatingly,  when  he  stopped  and  turned 
fiercely  upon  her. 

"  What  is  contrary  to  your  duty  ?  ** 

"  There  are  letters,  tied  very  daintily  with  a  blue 
ribbon,  and  they  are  from  a  man.  The  Princess 
did  not  allow  me  to  read  them,  but  locked  them 
away  in  a  secret  drawer  in  her  dressing-room,  but 
she  is  so  careless  with  her  keys  and  everything  else, 
that  I  am  sure  I  can  get  them  for  you,  if  you  want 
them." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  want  them,"  said  the  Prince,  "  and 
will  pay  you  handsomely  for  them." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Miss  Baxter,  "  you  shall 
have  them.  If  you  will  wait  here  ten  minutes,  I 
shall  return  with  them." 

"  But,"  hesitated  th  -  Prince,  "say  nothing  to  the 
Princess." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  shall  not  need  to  ;  the  keys  are  sure 
to  be  on  her  dressing-table." 

Miss  Baxter  ran  down  to  the  room  of  the  Prin- 


l!  '■      1 


t  tUl 


;m" 


'1: 


70       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

cess,  and  had  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  keys. 
She  unlocked  the  secret  drawer  into  which  she  had 
seen  the  Princess  place  the  packet  of  letters,  and 
taking  thenni  out,  she  drew  another  sheet  of  paper 
along  with  them,  which  she  read  with  wide-opening 
eyes,  then,  with  her  pretty  lips  pursed,  she  actually 
whistled,  which  unmaidenly  performance  merely 
gave  sibilant  expression  to  her  astonishment.  Tak- 
ing both  the  packet  of  letters  and  the  sheet  of 
paper  with  her,  she  ran  swiftly  up  the  stairs  and 
along  the  corridor  to  the  room  where  the  Prince 
was  impatiently  awaiting  her. 

"  Give  them  to  me,"  he  snapped,  rudely  snatch- 
ing the  bundle  of  documents  from  her  hand.  She 
still  clung  to  the  separate  piece  of  paper  and  said 
nothing.  The  Prince  stood  by  the  window  and 
undid  the  packet  with  trembling  hands.  He  ex- 
amined one  and  then  another  of  the  letters,  turning 
at  last  towards  the  girl  with  renewed  anger  in  his 
face. 

"You  are  trifling  with  me,  my  girl,"  he  cried. 

"  No,  I  am  not,"  she  said  stoutly. 

*'  These  are  my  own  letters,  written  by  me  to  my 
wife  before  we  were  married  !  " 

"  Of  course  they  are.  What  others  did  you 
expect  ?    These  are  the  only  letters,  so  far  as  I  have 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


71 


learned,  that  any  man  has  written  to  her,  and  the 
only  letters  she  cares  for  of  all  the  thousands  she 
has  ever  received.  Why,  you  foolish,  blind  man,  I 
had  not  been  in  this  castle  a  day  before  I  saw  how 
matters  stood.  The  Princess  is  breaking  her  poor 
heart  because  you  are  unkind  to  her,  and  she  cares 
for  nobody  on  earth  but  you,  great,  stupid  dunce 
that  you  are." 

"Is  it  true?  Will  you  swear  it's  true?"  cried 
the  Prince,  dropping  the  packet  and  going  hastily 
toward  the  girl.  Miss  Jennie  stood  with  her  back 
to  the  wall,  and  putting  her  hands  behind  her,  she 
said, — 

"  No,  no  ;  you  are  not  going  to  touch  me  again. 
Of  course  it's  true,  and  if  you  had  the  sense  of  a 
six-year-old  child,  you  would  have  seen  it  long  ago ; 
and  she  paid  sixty  thousand  pounds  of  your  gam- 
bling debts,  too." 

**  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  The  Princess  has 
never  given  nie  a  penny  of  her  money  ;  I  don't  need 
it.     Goodness  knows,  I  have  money  enough  of  my 


own. 


"  Well,  Cadbury  Taylor  said  that  you Oh,  I'll 

warrant  you,  it  is  like  all  the  rest  of  his  statements, 
pure  moonshine." 

"  Of  whom  are  you  speaking  ?    And  why  did  my 


):!■ 


!    I 


•i      ,1 


!  ' 


I 


I    If 


:  i    ( 


rfl 


;2       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

wife  protect  that  wretch  whom  she  knows  has  stolen 
her  diamonds  ?  " 

"  You  mean  von  Schaumberg  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  I  believe  the  Princess  does  think  he  stole  them, 
and  the  reason  the  Princess  protects  him  is  to  pre- 
vent you  from  challenging  him,  for  she  fears  that 
he,  being  a  military  man,  will  kill  you,  although  I 
fancy  she  would  be  well  rid  of  you." 

"  But  he  stole  the  diamonds — there  was  nobody 
else." 

"  Kc  did  nothing  of  the  kind.     Read  that ! " 

The  Prince,  bewildered,  took  the  sheet  that  she 
handed  to  him  and  read  it,  a  wrinkle  of  bewilder- 
ment corrugating  his  brow. 

'  I  don't  understand  what  this  has  to  do  with  the 
case,"  he  said,  at  last. 

"  It  seems  to  be  an  order  on  the  bank  at  Vienna 
for  the  diamonds,  written  by  the  Princess  herself." 

"  Of  course  it  is.  Well,  if  the  diamonds  had  been 
delivered,  that  paper  would  now  be  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  bank  instead  of  in  your  hands." 

"  Perhaps  she  mislaid  this  order  and  wrote 
another." 

"  Perhaps.  Still  it  might  be  worth  while  finding 
out." 


THE  DIAMOND  ^lYSTERY. 


73 


"  Take  this,  then,  to  the  Princess  and  ask  her." 

"  It  is  not  likely  she  would  remember.  The 
better  plan  is  to  telegraph  at  once  to  the  Vienna 
bank,  asking  them  to  send  the  diamonds  to  Meran 
by  special  messenger.  No  one  there  knows  that 
the  diamonds  are  missing." 

"  I  will  do  so  r,u  once,"  said  the  Prince,  with 
more  animation  in  his  voice  than  Miss  Baxter  had 
previously  noticed.  His  Highness  was  becoming 
interested  in  the  game. 

After  luncheon  the  Princess  came  to  Miss  Baxter, 
who  was  seated  at  her  desk,  and  handed  her  a 
letter. 

"  There  is  an  invitation  from  the  Duchess  of 
Chiselhurst  fc  a  grand  ball  she  is  shortly  to  give  in 
her  London  house.  It  is  to  be  a  very  swell  aflair,, 
but  I  don't  care  enough  for  such  things  to  go  all 
the  way  to  England  to  enjoy  them.  Would  you 
therefore  send  her  Grace  my  regrets  ?  " 

*'  I  will  do  so  at  once." 

At  that  moment  there  came  a  messenger  from 
the  Prince  asking  Miss  Baxter  to  meet  him  in  the 
library.     The  girl  glanced  up  at  the  Princess. 

"  Have  I  your  permission  to  go  ?"  she  said. 

The  Princess  looked  at  her  steadily  for  a  moment. 


\i 


;4       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


:l:-ih 


'fjl  .1 


just  the  faintest  suspicion  of  a  frown  on  her  fair 
brow. 

"  I  do  not  suppose  you  need  my  permission." 
Her  Highness  spoke  with  slow  deliberation.  "  My 
husband  condescends  to  take  considerable  interest 
in  you.  Passing  along  the  corridor  this  morning,  I 
heard  your  voices  in  most  animated  conversation." 

"  Had  you  sufficient  interest  in  our  discussion  to 
stop  and  listen  to  what  we  said,  Prince:is  von 
Steinheimer?" 

"  Ah,  now  you  are  becoming  insolent,  and  I  must 
ask  you  to  consider  your  engagement  with  me  at  an 
end." 

"  Surely  you  will  not  dismiss  me  in  this  hr^artless 
way.  Princess.  I  think  I  am  en*'  i-^d  to  a  month's 
notice,  or  is  it  only  a  week's?  " 

"  I  will  pay  you  a  year's  >  lary,  rr  two  years  if 
that  will  content  you.  I  have  no  wish  to  deal 
harshly  with  you,  but  I  desire  you  to  leave  at  once," 
said  the  Princess,  who  had  little  sense  of  humour, 
and  thus  thought  the  girl  was  in  earnest  when  she 
asked  for  notice. 

Miss  Baxter  laughed  merrily,  and  replied  when 
she  was  able  to  control  her  mirth,  "  I  do  hate  to 
i:av';  to  leave  just  when  things  are  becoming  inter- 
esti.ig.     Still,  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  really  need  to 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


75 


go  away  tn  spite  of  your  dismissal,  for  tb«  Prince 
this  morning  offered  me  ten  times  the  amount  of 
money  you  are  paying." 

"  Did  he  ?  " 

"  Be  assured  he  did  :  if  you  don't  believe  me, 
ask  him.  I  told  him  he  was  a  fool,  but,  alas,  we 
live  in  a  cynical  age,  and  few  men  believe  all  they 
hear,  so  I  fear  my  expression  of  opinion  made  little 
impression  on  him." 

"  I  shall  not  keep  you  longer  from  his  High- 
ness," said  the  Princess, with  freezing  dignity. 

"  Thank  you  so  much.  lam  just  dying  to  meet 
him,  for  I  know  he  has  something  most  interesting 
to  tell  me.  Don't  you  think  yourself.  Princess, 
that  a  man  acts  rather  like  a  fool  when  he  is  deeply 
in  love  ?  " 

To  this  there  was  no  reply,  and  the  Princess  left 
the  room. 

Miss  Jennie  jumped  to  her  feet  and  almost  ran  to 
the  library.  She  found  the  Prince  walking  up  and 
down  the  long  room  with  a  telegraph  message  in 
his  hand. 

"  You  are  a  most  wonderful  young  woman,"  he 
said  ;  "  read  that." 

"  I  have  been  told  so  by  more  observing  men 
than  you,  Prince  von  Steinheimer,"  said   the  girl, 


|!|| 


"  SI 


9i 


..I . 


?!'. 


i 


;6       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

taking  the  telegram.  It  was  from  the  manager  of 
the  bank  in  Vienna,  and  it  ran  :  "  Special  messenger 
leaves  with  package  by  the  Meran  express  to-night.*' 

"  Just  as  I  thought,"  said  Miss  Jennie ;  "  the 
diamonds  never  left  the  bank.  I  suppose  those 
idiots  of  servants  which  the  Princess  has  round  her 
didn't  know  what  they  took  away  from  Vienna  and 
what  they  lef :.  Then,  when  the  diamonds  were 
missing,  they  completely  lost  their  heads — not  that 
anyone  in  the  castle  has  much  wit  to  spare.  I 
never  saw  such  an  incompetent  lot." 

The  Prince  laughed. 

"  You  think,  perhaps,  I  have  not  w.t  enough  to 
see  that  my  wife  cares  for  me,  is  that  it  ?  Is  that 
why  you  gave  me  my  own  letters  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  are  well  mated  !  The  Princess  now 
does  me  the  honour  of  being  jealous.  Think  of 
that !  As  if  it  were  possible  that  I  should  take  any 
interest  in  you,  for  I  have  seen  real  men  in  my 
time." 

The  Prince  regarded  her  with  his  most  severe 
expression. 

"  Are  you  not  flattering  yourself  somewhat, 
young  lady  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear  no  !  I  take  it  as  the  reverse  of  flatter- 
ing to  be  supposed  that  I  have  any  liking  for  such 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


n 


a  ninny  as  you  are.     Flattering,  indeed  !     And  she 
has  haughtily  dismissed  me,  if  you  please." 

"  The  Princess  has  ?  What  have  you  been  say- 
ing to  her?" 

"  Oh,  I  made  the  most  innocent  remark,  and  it 
was  the  truth,  too,  which  shows  that  honesty  is  not 
always  the  best  policy.  I  merely  told  her  that  you 
had  offered  me  ten  times  the  amount  of  money  she 
is  paying  me.  You  needn't  jump  as  if  somebody 
had  shot  off  a  gun  at  your  ear.  You  know  you  did 
make  such  an  offer." 

"You  confounded  litjle  mischief-maker,"  criei* 
the  Prince,  in  anger.  "  Did  you  tell  her  what  it  was 
for?" 

"  No.     She  did  not  ask." 

**  I  will  thank  you  to  apply  the  cleverness  you 
seem  to  possess  to  the  undoing  of  the  harm  you 
have  so  lightheartedly  caused." 

"  How  can  I  ?  I  am  ordered  to  leave  to-night, 
when  I  did  so  wish  to  stay  and  see  the  diamond 
denouement'' 

"You  are  not  going  to-night.  I  shall  speak  to 
the  Princess  about  it  if  that  should  be  necessary. 
Your  mention  of  the  diamonds  reminds  me  that  my 
respected  father-in-law,  Mr.  Briggs,  informs  me  that 
4  celebrated    detective,   whom   it    seems    he    has 


i' 


II 


hi 


\l)\' 


i 
H 


78       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

engaged — Taylor,  I  think  the  name  is — will  be  here 
to-morrow  to  explain  the  diamond  mystery,  so,  you 
see,  you  have  a  competitor." 

'  )h,  is  Cadbury  coming?  That  is  too  jolly  for 
anything.  I  simply  musi  stay  and  hear  his  expla- 
nation, for  he  is  a  very  famous  detective,  and  the 
conclusions  he  has  arrived  at  must  be  most  interest- 
mg. 

"  I  think  some  explanations  are  due  to  me  as 
well.  My  worthy  father-in-law  seems  to  have  com- 
missioned this  person  without  thinking  it  necessary 
to  consult  me  in  the  least ;  in  fact,  Mr.  Briggs  goes 
about  the  castle  looking  so  dark  and  lowering  when 
he  meets  me  that  I  sometimes  doubt  whether  this 
is  my  own  bouse  or  not." 

"And  is  it?" 

"Is  it  what?" 

"  Is  it  your  own  house  ?  I  was  told  it  was  mort- 
gaged up  to  the  tallest  turret.  Still,  you  can't 
blame  Mr.  Briggs  for  being  anxious  about  the 
diamonds  ;  they  belong  to  his  daughter." 

"  They  belong  to  my  wife." 

"  True.  That  complicates  matters  a  bit,  and  gives 
both  Chicago  and  Vienna  a  right  to  look  black. 
And  now,  your  Highness,  I  must  take  my  leave  of 
you,  and  if  the  diamonds  come  safely  in  the  morn- 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


T9 


ing,  remember  I  intend  to  claim  salvage  on  them. 
Meanwhile,  I  am  going  to  write  a  nice  little  story 
about  them." 

In  the  morning  the  diamonds  arrived  by  special 
messenger,  who  first  took  a  formal  receipt  for  them, 
and  then  most  obsequiously  took  his  departure. 
By  the  same  train  came  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor,  as 
modest  as  ever,  but  giving  some  indication  in  his 
bearing  of  the  importance  of  the  discovery  his 
wonderful  system  had  aided  him  in  making.  He 
blandly  evaded  the  curiosity  of  Mr.  Briggs,  and  said 
it  would  perhaps  be  better  to  reveal  the  secret  in 
the  presence  of  the  Prince  and  Princess,  as  his  in- 
vestigations had  led  him  to  conclusions  that  might 
be  unpleasant  for  one  of  them  to  hear,  yet  were  not 
to  be  divulged  in  their  absence.  , 

"Just  what  I  suspected,"  muttered  Mr.  Briggs, 
who  had  long  been  convinced  that  the  Prince  was 
the  actual  culprit. 

The  important  gathering  took  place  in  the  library, 
the  Prince,  with  the  diamonds  in  his  coat  pocket, 
seated  at  the  head  of  the  long  table,  while  the 
Princess  sat  at  the  foot,  as  far  from  her  husband  as 
she  could  conveniently  get  without  attracting  no- 
tice. Miss  Baxter  stood  near  a  window  reading  an 
important  letter  from  London  which  had  reached 


si:  i 


I  :    m 


■  I  »■    I 


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•if: 


80       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

her  that  morning.  The  tall,  thin  detective  and  the 
portly  Mr.  Briggs  came  in  together,  the  London 
man  bowing  gravely  to  the  Prince  and  Princess. 
Mr.  Briggs  took  a  seat  at  the  side  of  the  table,  but 
the  detective  remained  standing,  looking  question- 
ingly  at  Miss  Baxter,  but  evidently  not  recognising 
her  as  the  lady  who  had  come  in  upon  him  and  his 
friend  when  they  entered  the  train. 

"  I  beg  the  pardon  of  your  Highness,  but  what  I 
have  to  say  had  better  be  said  with  as  few  hearers 
as  possible.  I  should  be  much  obliged  if  this  young 
person  would  read  her  correspondence  in  another 
room." 

"  The  young  woman,"  said  the  Prince,  coldly,  "  is 
secretary  to  her  Highness,  and  is  entirely  in  her 
confidence." 

The  Princess  said  nothing,  but  sat  with  her  eyes 
upon  the  table,  apparently  taking  no  note  of  what 
was  going  on.  Rich  colour  came  into  her  face,  and, 
as  the  keen  detective  cast  a  swift  glance  at  her,  he 
saw  before  him  a  woman  conscious  of  her  guilt,  fear- 
ing exposure,  yet  not  knowing  how  to  avert  it. 

"  If  your  Highness  will  excuse  my  persistence," 
began  Mr.  Taylor,  blandly. 

"But  I  will  not,"  interrupted  the  Prince, grufifly. 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERV. 


8i 


"  Go  on  with  your  story  without  so  much  circumlo- 
cution." 

The  detective,  apparently  unruffled  by  the  dis- 
courtesy he  met,  bowed  profoundly  towards  the 
Prince,  cleared  his  throat,  and  began  : 

*'  May  I  ask  your  Highness,"  he  said,  addressing 
himself  to  the  Princess,  "  how  much  money  you 
possessed  just  before  you  left  Vienna  ?  " 

The  lady  looked  up  in  surprise,  but  did  not  answer. 

"  In  Heaven's  name,  what  has  that  to  do  with  the 
loss  of  the  diamonds?"  rapped  out  the  Prince,  his 
hot  temper  getting  the  best  of  him. 

Cadbury  Taylor  spread  out  his  hands  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders  in  protest  at  the  interruption.  He 
spoke  with  deference,  but  nevertheless  there  was 
a  touch  of  reproach  in  his  tone. 

"  I  am  accustomed  to  being  listened  to  with  pa- 
tience, and  generally  allowed  to  tell  my  story  my 
own  way,  your  Highness." 

"  What  I  complain  of  is  that  you  are  not  telling 
any  story  at  all,  but  are  asking  instead  a  very  im- 
pertinent question." 

"  Questions  which  seem  to  you  irrelevant  may  be 
to  a  trained  mind  most " 

"  Bosh  !  Trained  donkeys!  Do  you  know  where 
the  diamonds  are  ?  " 


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82      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  answered  Cadbury  Taylor,  still  im- 
perturbable, in  spite  of  the  provocation  he  was 
receiving. 

"  Well,  where  are  they  ?  " 

*'  They  are  in  the  vaults  of  your  bank  in  Vienna." 

"  I  don't  believe  it.    Who  stole  them  then  ?  " 

"They  were  put  there  by  her  Highness  the 
Princess  von  Steinheimer,  doubtless  in  security  for 
money " 

"  What ! "  roared  the  Prince,  springing  to  his  feet, 
his  stentorian  voice  ringing  to  the  ceiling.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  insinuate,  you  villain,  that  my  wife 
stole  her  own  diamonds?" 

"  If  your  Highness  would  allow  me  to  proceed  in 
my  own " 

"  Enough  of  this  fooling.  There  are  the  dia- 
monds," cried  the  Prince,  jerking  the  box  from  his 
pocket  and  flinging  it  on  the  table. 

"  There  !  "  shouted  old  man  Briggs,  bringing  his 
clenched  fist  down  on  the  oak.  **  What  did  I  tell 
you  ?  I  knew  it  all  along.  The  Prince  stole  the 
diamonds,  and  in  his  excitement  yanks  them  out  of 
his  pocket  and  proves  it.  That  was  my  opinion  all 
along." 

"Oh,  father,  father ! "  moaned  the  Princess,  speak- 
ing for  the  first  time.     "  How  can  you  say  such  a 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


83 


thing  ?  My  husband  couldn't  do  a  mean  action  if 
he  tried.  The  idea  of  him  stealing  the  diamonds ! 
Not  if  they  were  worth  a  thousand  millions  and  de- 
tection impossible." 

The  Prince,  who  had  been  glaring  at  Mr.  Briggs, 
and  who  seemed  on  the  point  of  giving  that  red- 
faced  gentleman  a  bit  of  his  mind,  turned  a  soft- 
ened gaze  upon  his  wife,  who  rested  her  arms  on 
the  table  and  buried  her  face  in  them. 

"  Come,  come,"  cried  Miss  Jennie  Baxter,  step- 
ping energetically  forward ;  "  I  imagine  everybody 
has  had  enough  of  this.  Clear  out,  Mr.  Briggs,  and 
take  Mr.  Taylor  with  you  ;  I  am  sure  he  has  no'  had 
any  breakfast  yet,  and  he  certainly  looks  hungry. 
If  you  hire  detectives,  Mr.  Briggs,  you  must  take 
care  of  them.  Out  you  go.  The  dining-room  is 
ever  so  much  more  inviting  just  now  than  the 
library ;  and  if  you  don't  see  what  you  want,  ring 
for  it." 

She  drove  the  two  speechless  men  out  before  her, 
and,  closing  the  door,  said  to  the  Prince,  who  was 
still  standing  bewildered  at  having  his  hand  forced 
in  this  manner : 

"  There !  Two  fools  from  four  leaves  two.  Now, 
my  dears — I'm  not  going  to  Highness  either  of  you 
— ^you  are  simply  two  lone  people  who  like  each 


84       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

other  immensely,  yet  who  are  drifting  apart  through 
foolish  misunderstandings  that  a  few  words  would 
put  right  if  either  of  you  had  sense  enough  to 
speak  them,  which  you  haven't,  and  that's  why  I'm 
here  to  speak  them  for  you.  Now,  madame,  I  am 
ready  to  swear  that  the  Prince  has  never  said  any- 
thing to  me  that  did  not  show  his  deep  love  for 
you,  and  if  you  had  overheard  us,  you  would  not 
need  me  to  tell  you  so.  Ke  thinks  that  you  have  a 
fancy  for  that  idiot  von  Schaumberg — not  that  I 
ever  saw  the  poor  man ;  but  he  is  bound  to  be  an 
idiot,  or  the  Prince  wouldn't  be  jealous  of  him.  As 
nobody  has  stolen  the  diamonds  after  all  this  fuss, 
so  no  one  has  stolen  the  affection  of  either  of  you 
from  the  other.  I  can  see  by  the  way  you  look  at 
each  other  that  I  won't  need  to  apologise  for  leaving 
you  alone  together  while  I  run  upstairs  to  pack." 

"  Oh,  but  you  are  not  going  to  leave  us  ?  "  cried 
the  Princess. 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  stay ;  but  there  is  no 
rest  for  the  wicked,  and  I  must  get  back  to  London." 

With  that  the  girl  ran  to  her  room  and  there  re- 
read the  letter  she  had  received. 

"Dear  Miss  Baxter  (it  ran). — We  are  in  a  very 
considerable  dilemma  here,  so  I  write  asking  you 
to  see  me  in  London  without  delay,  going  back  to 


THE  DIAMOND  MYSTERY. 


85 


y 

u 
o 


^ 


i 


the  Tyrol  later  on  if  the  investigation  of  the  dia- 
mond mystery  renders  your  return  necessary.  Tlie 
Duchess  of  Chiselhurst  is  giving  a  great  ball  on  the 
29th.  It  is  to  be  a  very  swagger  affair,  with 
notables  from  every  part  of  Europe,  and  they  seem 
determined  that  no  one  connected  with  a  news- 
paper shall  be  admitted.  We  have  set  at  work 
every  influence  to  obtain  an  invitation  for  a  re- 
porter, but  without  success,  the  reply  invariably 
given  being  that  an  official  account  will  be  sent  to 
the  press.  Now,  I  want  you  to  set  your  ingenuity 
at  work,  and  gain  admittance  if  possible,  for  I  am 
determined  to  have  an  account  of  this  ball,  written 
in  such  a  way  that  everyone  who  reads  it  will  know 
that  the  writer  was  present.  If  you  can  manage 
this,  I  can  hardly  tell  yoa  how  grateful  the  pro- 
prietor and  myself  will  be. — Yours  very  truly, 

"  Radnor  Hardwick." 

Miss  Jennie  Baxter  sat  for  some  moments  mus- 
ing, with  the  letter  in  her  hand.  She  conned  over  in 
her  mind  the  names  of  those  who  might  be  able  to 
assist  her  in  this  task,  but  she  dismissed  them  one 
by  one,  well  knowing  that  if  Mr.  Hardwick  and  the 
proprietor  of  the  Bugle  had  petitioned  all  their  in- 
fluential friends  without  avail,  she  could  not  hope 
to  succeed  with  the  help  of  the  very  few  important 
personages  she  was  acquainted  with.  She  wondered 
if  the  Princess  could  get  her  an  invitation  ;  then 


86      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

suddenly  her  eyes  lit  up,  and  she  sprang  eagerly  to 
her  feet. 

"  What  a  fortunate  thing  it  is,"  she  cried  aloud, 
"  that  I  did  not  send  on  the  regret  of  the  Princess 
to  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst.  I  had  forgotten  all 
about  it  until  this  moment." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


JENNIE  ARRANGES  A  CINDERELLA  VISIT. 

The  room  which  had  been  allotted  to  Jennie  Baxter 
in  the  Schloss  Steinheimer  enjoyed  a  most  extended 
outlook.  A  door-window  gave  access  to  a  stone 
balcony,  which  hung  against  the  castle  wall  like  a 
swallow's  nest  at  the  eaves  of  a  house.  This  bal- 
cony was  just  wide  enough  to  give  ample  space  for 
one  of  the  easy  rocking-chairs  which  the  Princess 
had  imported  from  America,  and  which  Jennie 
thought  were  the  only  really  comfortable  pieces  of 
furniture  the  old  stronghold  possessed,  much  as  she 
admired  the  artistic  excellence  of  the  mediaeval 
chairs,  tables,  and  cabinets  which  for  centuries  had 
served  the  needs  of  the  ancient  line  that  had  lived  in 
the  Schloss.  The  rocking-chair  was  as  modern  as 
this  morning's  daily  paper ;  its  woodwork  painted  a 
bright  scarlet,  its  arms  like  broad  shelves,  its  rock- 
ers as  sensitively  balanced  as  a  marine  compass  ;  in 
fact,  just  such  a  chair  as  one  would  find  dotted 
round  the  vast  verandah  of  an  American  summer 
hotel.     In  this  chair  sat  Miss  Jennie,  two  open  let- 


88       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


/ 


ters  on  her  lap,  and  perplexity  in  the  dainty  little 
frown  that  faintly  ruffled  the  smoothness  of  her 
fair  brow.  The  scene  from  the  high  balcony  was 
one  to  be  remembered  ;  but,  although  this  was  her 
last  day  at  the  castle,  the  girl  saw  nothing  of  the 
pretty  town  of  Meran  so  far  below ;  the  distant 
chalk-line  down  the  slope  beyond  which  marked  the 
turbulent  course  of  the  foaming  Adege ;  the  lofty 
mountains  all  around,  or  the  further  snow-peaks, 
dazzling  white  against  the  deep  blue  of  the  sky. 

One  of  the  epistles  which  lay  on  her  lap  was  the 
letter  she  had  received  from  the  editor  recounting 
the  difficulties  he  had  met  with  while  endeavouring 
to  make  arrangements  for  reporting  adequately  the 
Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball;  the  other  was  the 
still  unanswered  invitation  from  the  Duchess  to  the 
Princess.  Jennie  was  flattered  to  know  that  already 
the  editor,  who  had  engaged  her  with  unconcealed 
reluctance,  expected  her  to  accomplish  what  the 
entire  staff  were  powerless  to  effect.  She  knew 
that,  had  she  but  the  courage,  it  was  only  necessary 
to  accept  the  invitation  in  the  name  of  her  present 
hostess,  and  attend  the  great  society  function  as 
Princess  von  Steinheimer.  Yet  she  hesitated,  not 
so  much  on  account  of  the  manifest  danger  of  dis- 
covery, but  because  she  had  grown  to  like  the 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        89 

Princess,  and  this  impersonation,  if  it  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  one  most  intimately  concerned, 
as  it  was  almost  sure  to  do,  would  doubtless  be  re- 
garded as  an  unpardonable  liberty.    As  she  swayed 
gently  back  and  forth  in  the  gaudy  rocking-chair, 
she  thought  of  confessing  everything   to  the  Prin- 
cess and  asking  her  assistance ;  but  pondering  on 
this,  she  saw  that  it  was  staking  everything  on  one 
throw  of  the  dice.     If  the  Princess  refused,  then 
the  scheme  became  impossible,  as  that  lady  herself 
would  answer  the  letter  of  the  Duchess  and  decline 
the  invitation.    Jennie  soothed  her  accusing  con- 
science by  telling  herself  that  this  impersonation 
would  do  no  harm  to  Princess  von  Steinheimer,  or 
to  anyone  else  for  that  matter,  while  it  would  be 
of  inestimable  assistance  to  her  own    journalistic 
career.    From  that  she  drifted   to  meditation  on 
the  inequalities  of  this  life — the   superabundance 
which  some  possess,  while  others,  no  less  deserving, 
have  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  scant  necessities. 
And  this  consoling  train  of  thought  having  fixed 
her  resolve  to  take  the  goods  the  gods  scattered  at 
her  feet,  or  rather  threw  into  her  lap,  she  drew  a 
long  sigh  of  determination  as  there  came-  a  gentle 
tap  at  the  door  of  her  room,  and  the  voice  of  the 
Princess  herself  said,  "  May  I  come  in  ?  " 


•  '-■y 


90      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Jennie,  a  rapid  blush  flaming  her  cheeks,  sprang 
to  her  feet,  flung  the  letters  on  a  table,  and  opened 
/  the  door. 

The  visitor  entered,  looking  attractive  enough  to 
be  a  princess  of  fairyland,  and  greeted  Miss  Baxter 
most  cordially. 

"  I  am  so  sorry  you  are  leaving,"  she  said. 
"Cannot  you  be  persuaded  to  change  your  mind 
and  stay  with  me  ?  Where  could  you  find  a  more 
lovely  view  than  this  from  your  balcony  here  ?  " 

"  Or  a  more  lovely  hostess  ?  "  said  the  girl,  look- 
ing at  her  visitor  with  undisguised  admiration  and 
quite  ignoring  the  landscape. 

The  Princess  laughed,  and  as  they  now  stood  to- 
gether on  the  balcony  she  put  out  her  hands,  pushed 
Jennie  gently  into  the  rocking-chair  again,  seating 
herself  jauntily  on  its  broad  arm,  and  thus  the 
two  looked  like  a  pair  of  mischievous  schoolgirls, 
home  at  vacation  time,  thoroughly  enjoying  their 
liberty. 

"  There !  You  are  now  my  prisoner,  about  to  be 
punished  for  flattery,"  cried  the  Princess.  "  I  saw 
by  the  motion  of  the  chair  that  you  had  just  jumped 
up  from  it  when  I  disturbed  you,  so  there  you  are, 
back  in  it  again.  What  were  you  thinking  about  ? 
A  rocking-chair  lends  itself  deliciously  to  medita- 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        91 

tion,  and  we  always  dream  of  someone  very  partic- 
ular  as  we  rock." 

"  I  am  no  exception  to  the  rule,"  sighed  Jennie  ; 
"  I  was  thinking  of  you,  Princess." 

"  How  nice  of  you  to  say  that ;  and  as  one  good 
turn  deserves  another,  here  is  proof  that  a  certain 
young  lady  has  been  in  my  thoughts." 

As  she  spoke,  the  Princess  took  from  her  pocket 
an  embossed  case  of  Russia  leather,  opened  it  and 
displayed  a  string  of  diamonds,  lustrous  as  drops  of 
liquid  light. 

*'  I  want  you  to  wear  these  stones  in  remembrance 
of  our  diamond  mystery — that  is  why  I  chose  dia- 
monds— and  also,  I  confess,  because  I  want  you  to 
think  of  me  every  time  you  put  them  on.  See  how 
conceited  I  am !    One  does  not  like  to  be  forgotten." 

Jennie  took  the  string,  her  own  eyes  for  a  mo- 
ment rivalling  in  brilliancy  the  sparkle  of  the  gems ; 
then  the  moisture  obscured  her  vision  and  she  auto- 
matically poured  the  stones  from  one  hand  to  the 
other,  as  if  their  scintillating  glitter  hypnotised  her. 
She  tried  once  or  twice  to  speak,  but  could  not  be 
sure  of  her  voice,  so  remained  silent.  The  Princess, 
noticing  her  agitation,  gently  lifted  the  necklace 
and  clasped  it  round  the  girl's  white  throat,  chatter- 
ing all  the  while  with  nervous  haste. 


>i  i 


92       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  There  !  you  can  wear  diamonds,  and  there  are 
so  many  to  whom  they  are  unbecoming.  I  also 
look  well  in  diamonds — at  least,  so  I've  been  told 
over  and  over  again,  and  I've  come  to  believe  it  at 
last.  I  suppose  the  young  men  have  not  concealed 
from  you  the  fact  that  you  are  a  strikingly  good- 
looking  girl,  Jennie.  Indeed,  and  this  is  brag  if 
you  like,  we  two  resemble  one  another  enough  to 
be  sisters,  nearly  the  same  height,  the  same  colour 
of  eyes  and  hair.  Come  to  the  mirror,  Miss  Hand- 
someness, and  admire  yourself." 

She  dragged  Jennie  to  her  feet  and  drew  her 
into  the  room,  placing  her  triumphantly  before  the 
great  looking-glass  that  reflected  back  a  full-length 
portrait. 

"  Now  confess  that  you  never  saw  a  prettier  girl," 
cried  the  Princess,  gleefully. 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  did,"  admitted  Jennie,  but 
she  was  looking  at  the  image  of  the  Princess  and 
not  at  her  own.  The  Princess  laughed,  but  Miss 
Baxter  seemed  too  much  affected  by  the  unex- 
pected present  to  join  in  the  merriment.  She 
regarded  herself  solemnly  in  the  glass  for  a  few 
moments,  then  slowly  undid  the  clasp,  and  slipping 
the  string  of  brilliants  from  her  neck,  handed  them 
back  to  the  Princess. 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        93 


"  You  are  very  very  kind,  but  I  cannot  accept  so 
costly  a  present." 

"  Cannot  ?  Why  ?  Have  I  offended  you  by  any- 
thing I  have  said  since  you  came?" 

"  Oh,  no,  no.     It  isn't  that." 

"  What,  then  ?     Don't  you  like  me,  after  all  ?  " 

"  Like  you  ?  I  love  you.  Princess !  "  cried  the 
girl  impulsively,  throwing  her  arms  round  the 
other's  neck. 

The  Princess  tried  to  laugh  as  she  pressed  Jennie 
closely  to  her,  but  there  was  a  tremour  of  tears  in 
the  laughter. 

"  You  must  take  this  little  gift  as  a  souvenir  of 
your  visit  with  me.  I  was  really — very  unhappy 
when  you  came,  and  now — well,  you  smoothed  away 
some  misunderstandings — I'm  more  than  grateful. 
And  it  isn't  natural  for  a  woman  to  refuse  dia- 
monds, Jennie." 

"  I  know  it  isn't ;  and  I  won't  quite  refuse  them. 
I'll  postpone.  It  is  possible  that  something  I  shall 
do  before  long  may  seriously  offend  you.  If  it 
does — then  good-bye  to  the  necklace  !  If  it  doesn't, 
when  I  have  told  you  all  about  my  misdeed — I 
shall  confess  courageously — you  will  give  me  the 
diamonds." 

"  Dear  me,  Jennie,  what  terrible  crime  are  you 


(1 


94       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


Vi 


it 


about  to  commit  ?  Why  not  tell  me  now  ?  You 
have  no  idea  how  you  have  aroused  my  curiosity." 

"I  dare  not  tell  you,  Princess ;  not  until  my  pro- 
ject proves  a  success  or  a  failure.  We  women — 
some  have  our  way  made  for  us — others  have  our 
own  way  to  make.  I  am  among  the  others,  and  I 
hope  you  will  remember  that  if  you  are  ever  angry 
with  me." 

"  Is  it  a  new  kind  of  speculation  ?  A  fortune 
made  in  a  day  ?     Gambling  ?  " 

"  Something  of  that  sort.  I  am  going  to  stake  a 
good  deal  on  the  turn  of  a  card ;  so  please  pray 
that  luck  will  not  be  against  me." 

"  If  pluck  will  make  you  win,  I  am  sure  you  will 
carry  it  through,  but  if  at  first  you  don't  succeed, 
try,  try  again  ;  and  if  you  haven't  the  money,  I'll 
supply  the  capital.  I  know  I  should  like  to 
gamble.  Anyhow,  you  have  my  best  wishes  for 
your  success." 

"Thank  you,  Princess.  I  can  hardly  fail  after 
that." 

The  time  had  come  when  the  two  friends  must 
part.  The  carriage  was  waiting  to  take  Miss 
Baxter  to  the  station,  and  the  girl  bade  good-bye 
to  her  hostess  with  an  uneasy  feeling  that  she  was 
acting  disloyally  to  one  who  had  befriended  her. 


( 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        95 


In  her  handbag  was  the  invitation  to  the  ball,  and 
also  the  letter  she  had  written  in  the  Princess's 
name  accepting  it,  which  latter  she  posted  in 
Meran.  In  due  course  she  rcc  :hed  London,  and 
presented  herself  to  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Bugle. 

"  Well,  Miss  Baxter,"  he  said,  "  you  have  been 
extraordinarily  successful  in  solving  the  diamond 
mystery,  and  I  congratulate  you.  My  letter 
reached  you,  I  suppose.  Have  you  given  any 
thought  to  the  problem  that  now  confronts  us? 
Can  you  get  us  a  full  report  of  the  Duchess  of  Chisel- 
hurst's  ball,  written  so  convincingly  that  all  the 
guests  who  read  it  will  know  that  the  writer  was 
present  ?  " 

"  It  is  entirely  a  question  of  money,  Mr  Hard- 
wick." 

"Most  things  are.  Well,  we  are  prepared  to 
spend  money  to  get  just  what  we  want." 

"  How  much  ?  " 

"  Whatever  is  necessary." 

*'  That's  vague.     Put  it  into  figures." 

"  Five  hundred  pounds ;  seven  hundred  ;  a  thou- 
sand if  need  be." 

"  It  will  not  cost  you  a  thousand,  and  it  may 
come  to  more  than  five  hundred.  Place  the  thou- 
sand to  my  credit,  and  I  shall  return  what  is  l^ft. 


! 

'1 :  \ 


:!:i 


II 


w  l 


$5      JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

I  must  go  at  once  to  Paris  and  carry  out  my  plans 
from  that  city." 

"  Then  you  have  thought  out  a  scheme.  What 
is  it?" 

"  I  have  not  only  thought  it  out,  but  most  of  the 
arrangements  are  already  made.  I  cannot  say 
more  about  it.  You  will  have  to  trust  wholly  to 
me. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  money  at  stake,  Miss 
Baxter,  and  our  reputation  as  a  newspaper  as  well. 
I  think  I  should  know  what  you  propose  to  do." 

"  Certainly.  I  propose  to  obtain  for  you  an  ac- 
curate description  of  the  ball,  written  by  one  who 
was  present." 

The  editor  gave  utterance  to  a  sort  of  interjec- 
tion that  always  served  him  in  place  of  a  laugh. 

"  In  other  words,  you  want  neither  interference 
nor  advice." 

"  Exactly,  Mr.  Hardwick.  You  know  from  ex- 
perience that  little  good  comes  of  talking  too  much 
of  a  secret  project  not  yet  completed." 

The  editor  drummed  with  his  fingers  on  the  table 
for  a  few  moments  thoughtfully. 

"Very  well,  then,  it  shall  be  as  you  say.  I 
should  have  beeii  very  glad  to  share  the  responsi- 
bility of  failure  with  you ;  but  if  you  prefer  to 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        97 

take  the  whole  risk  yourself,  there  is  nothing  more 
to  be  said.  The  thousand  pounds  shall  be  placed 
to  your  credit  at  once.     What  next  ?  " 

"  On  the  night  of  the  ball  I  should  like  you  to 
have  three  or  four  expert  shorthand  writers  here ;  I 
don't  know  how  many  will  be  necessary — you  un- 
derstand more  about  that  than  I  do ;  but  it  is  my 
intention  to  dictate  the  report  right  along  as  fast 
as  I  can  talk  until  it  is  finished,  and  I  don't  wish  to 
be  stopped  or  interrupted,  so  I  want  the  best  stenog- 
raphers you  have ;  they  are  to  relieve  one  another 
just  as  if  they  were  taking  down  a  parliamentary 
speech.  The  men  had  better  be  in  readiness  at 
midnight ;  I  shall  be  here  as  soon  after  that  as 
possible.  If  you  will  kindly  run  over  their  type- 
written MS.  before  it  goes  to  the  compositors,  I 
will  glance  at  the  proofs  when  I  have  finished 
dictating." 

"  Then  you  hope  to  attend  the  ball  yourself." 

"Perhaps." 

"You  have  just  returned  from  the  Tyrol,  and  I 
fear  you  don't  quite  appreciate  the  difficulties  that 
are  in  the  way.  This  is  no  ordinary  society  func- 
tion, and  if  you  think  even  a  thousand  pounds  will 
gain  admittance  to  an  uninvited  guest,  you  will 
find  yourself  mistaken." 


m 


98       JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  So  I  understood  from  your  letter." 

Again  the  editorial  interjection  did  duty  for  a 
laugh.  > 

"  You  are  very  sanguine,  Miss  Baxter.  I  wish  I 
felt  as  confident ;  however,  we  will  hope  for  the 
best,  and  if  we  cannot  command  success,  we  will  at 
least  endeavour  to  deserve  it." 

Jennie,  with  the  thousand  pounds  at  her  disposal, 
went  to  Paris,  took  rooms  at  the  most  aristocratic 
hotel,  engaged  a  maid,  and  set  about  the  construc- 
tion of  a  ball  dress  that  would  be  a  dream  of 
beauty.  Luckily  she  knew  exactly  the  gown- 
making  resources  of  Paris,  and  the  craftsmen  to 
whom  she  gave  her  orders  were  not  the  less  anxious 
to  please  her  when  they  knew  that  the  question  of 
cost  was  not  to  be  considered.  From  Paris  she 
telegraphed  in  the  name  of  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer  to  Claridge's  Hotel  for  an  apartment  on  the 
night  of  the  ball,  and  asked  that  a  suitable  equipage 
be  provided  to  convey  her  to  and  from  that  festival. 

Arriving  at  Claridge's,  she  was  well  aware  her 
first  danger  was  that  someone  who  knew  the  Prin- 
cess von  Steinheimer  would  call  upon  her ;  but  on 
the  valid  plea  of  fatigue  from  her  journey  she  pro- 
claimed that  in  no  circumstances  could  she  see  any 
visitor,  and  thus  shipwreck  was  avoided  at  the  out- 


JENNIE'S  CINDERELLA  VISIT.        99 

set.  It  was  unlikely  that  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer  was  personally  known  to  many  who  would 
attend  the  ball ;  in  fact,  the  Princess  had  given  to  Jen- 
nie as  her  main  reason  for  refusing  the  invitation  the 
excuse  that  she  knew  no  one  in  London.  She  had 
been  invited  merely  because  of  the  social  position 
of  the  Prince  in  Vienna,  and  was  unknown  by  sight 
even  to  her  hostess,  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst. 
Critically,  she  compared  the  chances  of  success 
with  the  chances  of  failure,  and  often  it  seemed 
that  disaster  was  inevitable,  unversed  as  she  knew 
herself  to  be  in  the  customs  of  grand  society  at  one 
of  its  high  functions,  but  nevertheless  she  was 
undaunted  by  the  odds  against  her,  and  resolved  to 
stake  a  career  on  the  fortunes  of  a  night. 


t 

I 

I- 


I  I! 

I 
I 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JENNIE  MIXES  WITH  THE  thlTE  OF  EARTH. 

It  is  said  that  a  woman  magnificently  robed  is 
superior  to  all  earthly  tribulations.  Such  was  the 
case  with  Jennie  as  she  left  her  carriage,  walked 
along  the  strip  of  carpet  which  lay  across  the  pave- 
ment under  a  canopy,  and  entered  the  great  hall  of 
the  Duke  of  Chiselhurst's  town  house,  one  of  the 
huge  palaces  of  western  London.  Nothing  so 
resplendent  had  she  ever  witnessed,  or  even  imag- 
ined, as  the  scene  which  met  her  eye  when  she 
found  herself  about  to  ascend  the  broad  stairway, 
at  the  top  of  which  the  hostess  stood  to  receive  her 
distinguished  guests.  Early  as  she  was,  the  stair- 
way and  the  rooms  beyond  seemed  already  thronged. 
Splendid  menials  in  gorgeous  livery,  crimson 
the  predominant  colour,  stood  on  each  step  at 
either  side  of  the  stair.  Uniforms  of  every  pattern, 
from  the  dazzling  Oriental  raiment  of  Indian  princes 
and  Eastern  potentates  to  the  more  sober  but 
.scarcely  less  rich  apparel  of  the  diplomatic  corps. 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  £LITE.  ioi 

ministers  of  the  Empire,  and  officers,  naval  and 
military,  gave  the  final  note  of  magnificence  and 
picturesqae  decoration.     Like  tropical   flowers   in 
this  garden   of  colour  were  the  ladies,  who,  with 
easy  grace,  moved  to  and  fro,  bestowing  a   smile 
here   and  a  whisper  there;  and  yet,   despite   her 
agitation,  a  hurried,  furtive  glance  around  brought 
to  Jennie  the  conviction  that  she  was,  perhaps,  the 
best-gowned  woman    in  that  assemblage  of  well- 
dressed  people,  which  recognition  somewhat  calmed 
her    palpitating  heart.    The  whole    environment 
seemed  unreal  to  her,  and  she  walked  forward  as  if 
in  a  dream.     She  heard  someone  cry,  "  The  Prin- 
cess von  Steinheimer,"  and  at  first  had  a  difficulty 
in  realising  that  the  title,  for  the  moment,  pertained 
to  herself.    The  next  instant  her  hand  was  in  that 
of  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst,  and  Jennie  heard 
the  lady  murmur  that  it  was  good  of  her  to  come  so 
far  to  grace  the  occasion.    The  girl  made  some  sort 
of  reply  which  she  found  herself  unable  afterwards 
to  recall,  but  the  rapid  incoming  of  other  guests  led 
her  to  hope   that,  if  she  had  used  any  unsuitable 
phrase,  it   was  either  unheard  or  forgotten  in  the 
tension  of  the  time.     She  stood  aside  and  formed 
one  of  the  brilliant  group  at  the  head  of  the  stairs, 
thankful  that  this  first  ordeal  was  well  done  with. 


i'  i 


102     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Her  rapidly  beating  heart  had  now  opportunity  to 
lessen  its  pulsations,  and  as  she  soon  realised  that 
she  was  practically  unnoticed,  her  natural  calmness 
began  to  return  to  her.  She  remembered  why  she 
was  there,  and  her  discerning  eye  enabled  her  to 
stamp  on  a  retentive  memory  the  various  particu- 
lars of  so  unaccustomed  a  spectacle  whose  very 
unfamiliarity  made  the  greater  impression  upon  the 
girl's  mind.  She  moved  away  from  the  group, 
determined  to  saunter  through  the  numerous  rooms 
thrown  open  for  the  occasion,  and  thus,  as  it  were, 
get  her  bearings.  In  a  short  time  all  fear  of  dis- 
covery left  her,  and  she  began  to  feel  very  much  at 
home  in  the  lofty  crowded  salons,  pausing  even  to 
enjoy  a  selection  which  a  military  band,  partly  con- 
cealed in  the  foliage,  was  rendering  in  a  masterly 
manner,  led  by  the  most  famous  impressario  of  the 
day.  The  remote  probability  of  meeting  anyone 
here  who  knew  the  Princess  reassured  her,  and 
there  speedily  came  over  her  a  sense  of  delight  in 
all  the  kaleidoscopic  bewilderment  of  this  great 
entertainment.  She  saw  that  each  one  there  had 
interest  in  someone  else,  and  to  her  great  relief, 
found  herself  left  entirely  alone  with  reasonable 
assurance  that  this  remoteness  would  continue  to 
befriend  her  until  the  final  gauntlet  of  leave-taking 


/ 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  6l1TE.  103 

had  to  be  run ;  a  trial  still  to  be  encountered,  the 
thought  of  which  she  resolutely  put  away  from  her, 
trusting  to  the  luck  that  had  hitherto  not  deserted 
her. 

Jennie  was  in  this  complaisant  frame  of  mind 
when  she  was  suddenly  startled  by  a  voice  at  her  side. 

"  Ah,  Princess,  I  have  been  searching  everywhere 
for  you,  catching  glimpses  of  you  now  and  then, 
only  to  lose  you,  as,  alas,  has  been  my  fate  on  more 
serious  occasion.  May  I  flatter  myself  with  the 
belief  that  you  also  remember  ?  " 

There  was  no  recognition  in  the  large  frightened 
eyes  that  were  turned  upon  him.  They  saw  a  young 
man  bowing  low  over  the  unresisting  hand  he  had 
taken.  His  face  was  clear-cut  and  unmistakably 
English.  Jennie  saw  his  closely-cropped  auburn 
head,  and,  as  it  raised  until  it  overtopped  her  own, 
the  girl,  terrified  as  she  was,  could  not  but  admire 
the  sweeping  blonde  mustache  that  overshadowed 
a  smile,  half-wistful,  half-humourous,  which  lighted 
up  his  handsome  face.  The  ribbon  of  some  order 
was  worn  athwart  his  breast ;  otherwise  he  wore 
court  dress,  which  well  became  his  stalwart  frame. 

"  I  am  disconsolate  to  see  that  I  am  indeed  for- 
gotten. Princess,  and  so  another  cherished  delusion 
fades  away  from  me." 


>  1! 


I04     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Her  fan  concealed  the  lower  part  of  the  girl's  face, 
and  she  looked  at  him  over  its  fleecy  semicircle. 

"  Put  not  your  trust  in  princesses,"  she  murmured, 
a  sparkle  of  latent  mischief  lighting  up  her  eyes. 

The  young  man  laughed.  "  Indeed,"  he  said, 
"  had  I  served  my  country  as  faithfully  as  I  have 
been  true  to  my  remembrance  of  you.  Princess,  I 
would  have  been  an  ambassador  long  ere  this, 
covered  with  decorations.  Have  you  then  lost  all 
recollection  of  that  winter  in  Washington  five  years 
ago;  that  whirlwind  of  gayety  which  ended  by 
wafting  you  away  to  a  foreign  country,  and  thus  the 
eventful  season  clings  to  my  memory  as  if  it  were  a 
disastrous  western  cyclone?  Is  it  possible  that  I 
must  re-introduce  myself  as  Donal  Stirling  ?  " 

"  Not  Lord  Donal  Stirling?  "  asked  Jennie,  dimly 
remembering  that  she  had  heard  this  name  in  con- 
nection with  something  diplomatic,  and  her  guess 
that  he  was  in  that  service  was  strengthened  by  his 
previous  remark  about  being  an  ambassador. 

"  Yes,  Lord  Donal,  if  you  will  cruelly  insist  on 
calling  me  so ;  but  this  cannot  take  from  me  the 
consolation  that  once  in  the  conservatory  of  the 
White  House,  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Presi- 
dent, you  condescended  to  call  me  Don." 

"  You  cannot  expect  one  to  remember  what  hap- 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  £LITE.  105 

pened  in  Washington  five  years  ago.  You  know 
the  administration  itself  changes  every  four  years, 
and  memories  seldom  carry  back  even  so  far  as  that." 

"  I  had  hoped  that  my  most  outspoken  adoration 
would  have  left  reminiscences  which  might  outlast 
an  administration.  I  have  not  found  forgetting  so 
easy." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  of  that,  Lord  Donal  ?  "  asked 
the  girl  archly,  closing  her  fan  and  giving  him  for 
the  first  time  a  full  view  of  her  face. 

The  young  man  seemed  for  a  moment  perplexed, 
but  she  went  on,  giving  him  little  time  for  reflection, 
"  Have  your  diplomatic  duties  taken  you  away  from 
Washington  ?  " 

"  Yes,  to  the  other  end  of  the  earth.  I  am  now 
in  St.  Petersburg,  with  ultimate  hopes  of  Vienna, 
Princess.  I  happened  to  be  in  London  this  week, 
and  hearing  you  were  to  be  here,  I  moved  heaven 
and  earth  for  an  invitation." 

"  Which  you  obtained,  only  to  find  yourself  for- 
gotten.    How  hollow  this  world  is,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Alas,  yes.  A  man  in  my  profession  sees  a  good 
deal  of  the  seamy  side  of  life,  and  I  fully  believe 
that  my  rapidly  lessening  dependence  on  human 
veracity  will  be  shattered  by  my  superiors  sending 
me  to  Constantinople.     But  let  me  find  you  a  seat 


io6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


!  i 


out  of  this  crowd  where  we  may  talk  of  old 
times." 

"  I  don't  care  so  much  about  the  past  as  I  do 
about  the  present.  Let  us  go  up  into  that  gallery, 
where  you  shall  point  out  to  me  the  celebrities.  I 
suppose  you  know  them  all,  while  I  am  an  entire 
stranger  to  London  society." 

"That  is  a  capital  idea,"  cried  the  young  man, en- 
thusiastically. "  Yes,  I  think  I  know  most  of  the 
people  here,  at  least  by  name.  Ah,  here  comes  the 
Royal  party ;  we  shall  just  be  in  time  to  have  a 
good  look  at  them." 

The  band  played  the  National  Anthem,  and  Lord 
Donal  got  two  chairs,  which  he  placed  at  the  edge 
of  the  gallery,  well  hidden  from  the  promenaders  by 
spreading  tropical  plants. 

"  Oh,  this  is  jolly,"  cried  Jennie,  quite  forgetting 
the  dignity  of  a  Princess.  "  You  told  me  why  you 
came  to  the  ball.     Do  you  know  why  I  am  here  ?  " 

"  On  the  remote  chance  of  meeting  me  whom  you 
pretended  to  have  forgotten,"  replied  the  young 
man,  audaciously.  ^  x 

"  Of  course,"  laughed  Jennie  ;  "  but  aside  from 
that,  I  came  to  see  the  costumes.  You  know,  we 
women  are  libellously  said  to  dress  for  eacli  other. 
Away  from  the  world,  in  the  Tyrol,  I  have  little  op- 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  fiLITE.         107 

portunity  of  seeing  anything  fine  in  the  way  of  dress, 
and  so  I  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Duchess." 

"  Have  you  the  invitation  of  the  Duchess  with 
you?" 

"Yes,  I  am  going  to  make  some  notes  on  the 
back  of  it.  Would  you  like  to  see  it?"  She 
handed  him  the  letter  and  then  leaned  back  in  her 
chair,  regarding  him  closely.  The  puzzled  ex- 
pression on  his  face  deepened  as  he  glanced  over 
the  invitation,  and  saw  that  it  was  exactly  what  it 
purported  to  be.  He  gave  the  letter  back  to  her, 
saying,— 

"So  you  are  here  to  see  the  fashions.  It  is  a 
subject  I  know  little  about ;  but,  judging  by  effect, 
I  should  say  that  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer  has 
nothing  to  learn  from  anyone  present.  If  I  may 
touch  on  a  topic  so  personal,  your  costume  is  what 
they  call  a  creation,  is  it  not,  Princess?" 

"  It  isn't  bad,"  said  the  girl,  looking  down  at  her 
gown,  and  then  glancing  up  at  him  with  merriment 
dancing  in  her  eyes.  The  diplomat  had  his  elbow 
resting  on  the  balustrade,  his  head  leaning  on  his 
hand,  and,  quite  oblivious  to  everything  else,  was 
gazing  at  her  with  such  absorbed  intentness  that 
the  girl  blushed  and  cast  down  her  eyes.  The  in- 
tense  admiration     in    his     look  was  undisguised. 


I  ''■ 


i  M 


lo8     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


»      :  I 


i  I 


.(  ( 


**  Still,"  she  rattled  on  somewhat  breathlessly,  "  one 
gets  many  hints  from  others,  and  the  creation  of 
to-day  is  merely  the  old  clothes  of  to-morrow.  In- 
vention has  no  vacation  so  far  as  ladies'  apparel  is 
concerned.  '  Take  no  thought  of  the  morrow, 
wherewithal  ye  shall  be  clothed,'  may  have  been  a 
good  motto  for  the  court  of  Solomon,  but  it  has 
little  relation  with  that  of  Victoria." 

"Solomon — if  the  saying  is  his — was  hedging. 
He  had  many  wives,  you  know." 

"  Well,  as  I  was  about  to  say,  you  must  now  turn 
your  attention  to  the  other  guests,  and  tell  me 
who's  who.  I  have  already  confessed  my  ignorance, 
and  you  promised  to  enlighten  me." 

The  young  man,  with  visible  reluctance,  directed 
his  thoughts  from  the  one  to  the  many,  and  named 
this  person  and  that,  while  Jennie,  with  the  pencil 
attached  to  her  card,  made  cabalistic  notes  in  short- 
hand, economising  thus  both  space  and  time.  When 
at  last  she  had  all  the  information  that  could  be 
desired,  she  leaned  back  in  her  chair  with  a  little  sigh 
of  supreme  content.  Whatever  might  now  betide, 
her  mission  was  fulfilled  if  she  once  got  quietly 
away.  The  complete  details  of  the  most  important 
society  event  of  the  season  were  at  her  fingers  ends. 
She  closed  her  eyes  for  a  moment  to  enjoy  the 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  fiLITE.  109 

satisfaction  which  success  leaves  in  its  train,  and 
when  she  opened  them  again  found  Lord  Donal  in 
his  old  posture,  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of 
her  undeniable  beauty. 

"  I  see  you  are  determined  I  shall  h.ive  no  diffi- 
culty in  remembering  you  next  time  we  meet,"  she 
said  with  a  smile,  at  the  same  time  flushing  slightly 
under  his  ardent  gaze. 

"  I  war  just  thinking,"  he  replied,  shifting  his 
position  a,  little,  "that  the  five  years  which  have 
dealt  so  hardly  with  me,  have  left  you  five  years 
younger." 

"  Age  has  many  privileges,  Lord  Donal,"  she  said 
to  him,  laughing  outright ;  '•  but  I  don't  think  you 
can  yet  lay  any  claim  to  any  of  them.  The  pose 
of  the  prematurely  old  is  not  in  the  least  borne  out 
by  your  appearance,  however  hardly  the  girl  you 
met  in  Washington  dealt  with  you." 

"  Ah,  Princess,  it  is  very  easy  for  you  to  treat 
these  serious  matters  lightly.  'He  laughs  at  scars 
who  never  felt  a  wound.*  Time,  being  above  all 
things  treacherous,  often  leaves  the  face  untouched 
the  more  effectually  to  scar  the  heart.  The  hurt 
concealed  is  ever  the  most  dangerous." 

"  I  fancy  it  has  been  concealed  so  effectually  that 
it  is  not  as  deep  as  you  imagined." 


i 


m 


-_    If    ill 


1^1 '  f  w 

1 1 


il 


1:' 


no     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"Princess,  I  will  confejs  to  you  that  the  wound 
at  Washington  was  as  nothing  to  the  one  received 
at  London." 

"Yes;  you  told  me  you  had  been  here  for  a 
week." 

"  The  week  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  have 
been  here  for  a  night — for  two  hours — or  three ;  I 
have  lost  count  of  time  since  I  met  you." 

What  reply  the  girl  might  have  made  to  this 
speech,  delivered  with  all  the  fervency  of  a  man  in 
thorough  earnest,  will  never  be  known,  for  at  that 
moment  their  tite-d-tHe  was  interrupted  by  a  mes- 
senger, who  said, — 

**  His  Excellency  the  Austrian  Ambassador  begs 
to  be  permitted  to  pay  his  regards  to  the  Princess 
von  Steinheimer." 

Lord  Donal  Stirling  never  took  his  eyes  from  the 
face  of  his  companion,  and  he  saw  a  quick  pallour 
overspread  it.     He  leaned  forward  and  whispered, — 

"  I  know  the  Ambassador  ;  if  you  do  not  wish  to 
meet  him,  I  will  intercept  him." 

Jennie  rose  slowly  to  her  feet,  and,  looking  at 
the  young  man  with  a  calmness  she  was  far  from 
feeling,  said  coldly, — 

"  Why  should  T  not  wish  to  meet  the  Ambassa' 
dor  of  my  adopted  country  ?  " 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  fiLITE.  in 


"  I  know  of  no  reason.  Quite  the  contrary,  for 
he  must  be  an  old  friend  of  yours,  having  been 
your  guest  at  the  Schloss  Steinheimer  a  year  ago." 

He  stepped  back  as  he  said  this,  and  Jennie  had 
difficulty  in  suppressing  a  gasp  of  dismay  witii 
which  she  received  his  disquieting  disclosure,  but 
she  stood  her  ground  without  wincing.  She  was 
face  to  face  with  the  crisis  she  had  foreseen — the 
coming  of  one  who  knew  the  Princess.  Next  in- 
stant the  aged  diplomat  was  bending  over  her  out- 
stretched hand,  which  in  a  courtly  fashion  the  old 
man  raised  to  his  lips. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  have  the  privilege  of  welcom- 
ing you  to  this  gloomy  old  city.  Princess  von  Stein- 
heir  er,  which  you  illumine  with  your  presence. 
Do  you  stay  long  in  London  ?  " 

"The  period  of  illumination  is  short,  your  Ex- 
cellency.    I  leave  for  Paris  to-morrow." 

*'  So  soon  ?  Without  even  visiting  the  Embassy  ? 
I  am  distressed  to  hear  of  so  speedy  a  desertion, 
and  yet,  knowing  the  charms  of  the  Schloss  Stein- 
heimer, I  can  hardly  wonder  at  your  wish  to  return 
there.  The  Prince,  I  suppose,  is  as  devoted  as  ever 
to  the  chase.  I  must  censure  his  Highness,  next 
time  we  meet,  for  not  coming  with  you  to  London ; 
then  I  am  sure  you  would  have  stayed  longer  with  us" 


5  '  t 


iillt! 


E    »     I! 


li  ! 


112     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

The  Prince  is  a  model  husband,  your  Excellency," 
said  Jennie,  with  a  sly  glance  at  Lord  Donal, 
whose  expression  of  uncertainty  increased  as  this 
colloquy  went  on,  "  and  he  would  have  come  to 
London  without  a  murmur  had  his  wife  been  selfish 
enough  to  tear  him  away  from  his  beloved  Meran." 

"  A  model  husband  !  "  said  the  ancient  Count, 
with  an  unctuous  chuckle.  "  So  few  of  us  excel  in 
that  respect ;  but  there  is  this  to  be  said  in  our  ex- 
culpation, few  have  been  matrimonially  so  fortunate 
as  the  Prince  von  Steinheimer.  I  have  never 
ceased  to  long  for  a  repetition  of  the  charming  visit 
I  paid  to  your  delightful  home." 

"  If  your  Excellency  but  knew  how  welcome  you 
are,  your  visits  would  not  have  such  long  intervals 
between." 

"  It  is  most  kind  of  you.  Princess,  to  cheer  an  old 
man's  heart  by  such  gracious  words.  It  is  our  mis- 
fortune that  affairs  of  State  chain  us  to  our  pillar, 
and,  indeed,  diplomacy  seems  to  become  more  dif- 
ficult as  the  years  go  on,  because  we  have  to  con- 
tend with  the  genius  of  rising  young  men,  like  Lord 
Donal  Stirling  here,  who  are  more  tnan  a  match 
for  old  dogs  that  find  it  impossible  to  learn  new 
tricks." 

♦*  Indeed,  your    Excellency,"   said  his  Lordship, 


( 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  fiLITE.  113 

speaking  for  the  first  time  since  the  Ambassador 
began,  "  the  very  reverse  of  that  is  the  case.  We  sit 
humbly  at  your  feet,  ambitious  to  emulate,  but 
without  hope  of  excelling." 

The  old  man  chuckled  again,  and  turning  to  the 
girl  began  to  make  his  adieux. 

"  Then  my  former  rooms  are  waiting  for  me  at 
the  castle  ?  "  he  concluded. 

"  Yes,  your  Excellency,  with  the  addition  of  two 
red  rocking-chairs  imported  from  America,  which 
you  will  find  most  comfortable  resting-places  when 
you  are  free  from  the  cares  of  State." 

"  Ah !  The  rocking-chairs !  I  remember  now 
that  you  were  expecting  them  when  I  was  there. 
So  they  have  arrived,  safely,  I  hope ;  but  I  think 
you  had  ordered  an  incredible  number,  to  be  cer- 
tain of  having  one  or  two  serviceable." 

"  No;  only  a  dozen,  and  they  all  came  through 
without  damage." 

"  You  young  people,  you  young  people ! "  mur- 
mured the  Ambassaaor,  bending  again  over   the 
hand  presented  to   him,  "  what   unheard-of  things 
you  do." 

And  so  the  old  man  shuffled  away,  leaving  many 
compliments  behind  him,  evidently  not  having 
the  slightest  suspicion  that  he  had  met  any  one  but 


1 


. 


S    ■-: 


114    JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

the  person  he  supposed  himself  addressing,  for  his 
eyesight  was  not  of  the  best,  and  an  Ambassador 
meets  many  fair  and  distinguished  women. 

The  girl  sat  down  with  calm  dignity,  while  Lord 
Donal  dropped  into  his  chair,  an  expression  of 
complete  mystification  on  his  clean-cut,  honest 
face.  Jennie  slowly  fanned  herself,  for  the  heat 
made  itself  felt  at  that  elevated  situation,  and  for 
a  few  moments  nothing  was  said  by  either.  The 
young  man  was  the  first  to  break  silence. 

*'  Should  I  be  so  fortunate  as  to  get  an  invitation 
to  the  Schloss  Steinheimer,  may  I  hope  that  a  red 
rocking-chair  will  be  allotted  to  me  ?  I  have  not 
sat  in  one  since  I  was  in  the  States." 

"  Yes,  one  for  you  ;  two  for  the  Ambassador," 
said  Jennie,  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  should  like  further  to  flatter  myself  that  your 
double  generosity  to  the  Ambassador  arises  solely 
from  the  dignity  of  his  office  and  is  not  in  any  way 
personal." 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  ambassadors ;  they  are  cour- 
teous gentlemen,  who  seem  to  have  less  distrust 
than  is  exhibited  by  some  not  so  exalted." 

"Distrust!  You  surely  cannot  mean  that  I 
have  distrusted  you,  Princess?" 

*'  Oh,  I  was  speaking  generally,"  replied  Jennie, 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  ELITE.  115 

airily.    "You  seem  to  seek  a  personal  application  in 
what  I  say." 

"  I  admit,  Princess,  that  several  times  this  even- 
ing I  have  been  completely  at  sea." 

"  And  what  is  worse.  Lord  Donal,  you  have 
shown  it,  which  is  the  one  unforgivable  fault  in 
diplomacy." 

"  You  are  quite  right.  If  I  had  you  to  teach  me, 
I  would  be  an  ambassador  within  the  next  five 
years,  or  at  least  a  minister." 

The  girl  looked  at  him  over  the  top  of  her  fan, 
covert  merriment  lurking  in  her  eyes. 

"  When  you  visit  Schloss  Steinheimer  you  might 
ask  the  Prince  if  he  objects  to  my  giving  you  les- 
sons." 

Here  there  was  another  interruption,  and  the 
announcement  was  made  that  the  United  States  Am- 
bassador desired  to  renew  his  acquaintance  with  the 
Princess  von  Steinheimer.  Lord  Donal  made  use 
of  an  impatient  exclamation,  more  emphatic  than 
he  intended  to  give  utterance  to,  but  on  looking  at 
his  companion,  in  alarm,  he  saw  in  her  glance  a 
quick  flash  of  gratitude  as  unmistakable  as  if  she 
had  spoken  her  thanks.  It  was  quite  evident  that 
the  girl  had  no  desire  to  meet  his  Excellency, 
which  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  she  had  already 


i'X 


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i'   I 


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lil 


■'lU  i 
'I 


ii6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

encountered  him  three  times  in  her  capacity  of 
journalist.  He  not  only  knew  the  Princess  von 
Steinheimer,  but  he  knew  Jennie  Baxter  as  well. 

She  leaned  back  in  her  chair  and  said  wearily,— 

"  I  seem  to  be  having  rather  an  abundance  of 
diplomatic  society  this  evening.  Are  you  ac- 
quainted with  the  American  Ambassador  also,  Lord 
Donal?" 

"Yes,"  cried  the  young  man,  eagerly  springing  to 
his  feet.  "  He  was  a  prominent  politician  in  Wash- 
ington while  I  was  there.  He  is  an  excellent  man, 
and  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  making  your  ex- 
cuses to  him  if  you  don't  wish  to  meet  him." 

"  Thank  you  so  much.  You  have  now  an  oppor- 
tunity of  retrieving  your  diplomatic  reputation,  if 
you  can  postpone  the  interview  without  offending 
him." 

Lord  Donal  departed  with  alacrity,  and  the  mo- 
ment he  was  gone  all  appearance  of  languor  van- 
ished from  Miss  Jennie  Baxter. 

"  Now  is  my  chance,"  she  whispered  to  herself. 
"  I  must  be  in  my  carriage  before  he  returns." 

Eager  as  she  was  to  be  gone,  she  knew  that  she 
should  betray  no  haste.  Expecting  to  find  a  stair 
at  the  other  end  of  the  gallery,  she  sought  for  it, 
but  there  was  none.     Filled  with  apprehension  that 


ir 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  ELITE.         ii; 

she  would  meet  Lord  Donal  coming  up,  she  had 
difficulty  in  timing  her  footsteps  to  the  slow  meas- 
ure that  was  necessary.  She  reached  the  bottom  of 
the  stair  in  safety  and  unimpeded,  but  once  on  the 
main  floor  a  new  problem  presented  itself.  Nothing 
would  attract  more  attention  than  a  young  and 
beautiful  lady  walking  the  long  distance  between 
the  gallery  end  of  the  room  and  the  entrance  stair- 
way entirely  alone  and  unattended.  She  stood 
there  hesitating,  wondering  whether  she  could 
venture  on  finding  a  quiet  side  exit,  which  she  was 
sure  must  exist  in  this  large  house,  when,  to  her 
dismay,  she  found  Lord  Donal  again  at  her  side, 
rather  breathless,  as  if  he  had  been  hurrying  in 
search  of  her.  His  brows  were  knit  and  there  was 
an  anxious  expression  on  his  face. 

"  I  must  have  a  word  with  you  alone,"  h»^  whisp- 
ered. "  Let  me  conduct  you  to  this  alcove  under 
the  gallery." 

"  No  ;  I  am  tired.     I  am  going  home." 

"  I  quite  understand  that,  but  you  must  come 
with  me  for  a  moment." 

"  Must  ?  "  she  said,  with  a  suggestion  of  defiance 
in  her  tone. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  gravely.  "  I  wish  to  be  of 
assistance  to  you.     I  think  you  will  need  it." 


si 
i 


r      S 


^il  ' 


ti8     JENNIE  BAXTER.  JOURNALIST 

For  a  moment  she  met  his  unflinching  gaze 
steadily,  then  her  glance  fell,  and  she  said  in  a  lour 
voice,  "  Very  well." 

When  they  reached  the  alcove,  she  enquired 
rather  quaveringly — for  she  saw  something  had 
happened  which  had  finally  settled  all  the  young 
man's  doubts — "  Is  it  the  American  Ambassador  ?  " 

"  No ;  there  was  little  trouble  there.  He  expects 
to  meet  you  later  in  the  evening.  But  a  telegraphic 
message  has  come  from  Meran,  signed  by  the  Prin* 
cess  von  Steinheimer,  which  expresses  a  hope  that 
the  ball  will  be  a  success,  and  reiterates  the  regret 
of  her  Highness  that  she  could  not  be  present, 
Luckily  this  communication  has  not  been  shown  to 
the  Duchess.  I  told  the  Duke,  who  read  it  to  me, 
knowing  I  had  been  with  you  all  the  evening,  that 
it  was  likely  a  practical  joke  on  the  part  of  the 
Prince;  but  the  Duke, who  is  rather  a  serious  per- 
son, does  not  take  kindly  to  that  theory,  and  if  he 
knew  the  Prince  he  would  dismiss  it  as  absurd — ■ 
which  it  is.  I  have  asked  him  not  to  show  the  tele^ 
gram  to  anyone,  so  there  is  a  little  time  for  consid- 
ering what  had  best  be  done." 

"  There  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  take-  my 
leave  as  quickly  and  as  quietly  as  possible,"  said 
the  girl,  with  a  nervous  little  laugh  bordering  ri(jsely 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  ELITE.  119 

on  the  hysterical.  "  I  was  about  to  make  my  way 
out  by  some  private  exit  if  I  could  find  one." 

"That  would  be  impossible,  and  the  attempt 
might  lead  to  unexpected  complications.  I  suggest 
that  you  take  my  arm,  and  that  you  bid  farewell  to 
her  Grace,  pleading  fatigue  as  the  reason  for  your 
early  departure.  Then  I  will  see  you  to  your  car- 
riage, and  when  I  return  I  shall  endeavour  to  get 
that  unlucky  telegram  from  the  Duke  by  telling 
him  I  should  like  to  find  out  whether  it  is  a  hoax 
or  not.  He  will  have  forgotten  about  it  most  likely 
in  the  morning.  Therefore,  all  you  have  to  do  is  to 
keep  up  your  courage  for  a  few  moments  longer 
until  you  are  safe  in  your  carriage." 

"You  are  very  kind,"  she  murmured,with  down- 
cast eyes. 

"  You  are  very  clever,  my  Princess,  but  the  odds 
against  you  were  tremendous.  Some  time  you 
must  tell  me  why  you  risked  it." 

She  made  no  reply,  but  took  his  arm,  and  to- 
gether  they  sauntered  through  the  rooms  until  they 
found  the  Duchess,  when  Jennie  took  her  leave  of 
the  hostess  with  a  demure  dignity  that  left  nothing 
to  be  desired.  All  went  well  until  they  reached 
the  head  of  the  stair,  when  the  Duke,  an  ominous 
frown  on  his  brow,  hurried  after  them  and  said, — 


I :! 


IS 


lliii': 


1 31 


I;: 


r^ 


120     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  My  lord,  excuse  me." 

Lord  Donal  turned  with  an  ill-concealed  expres* 
sion  of  impatience,  but  he  was  helpless,  for  he 
feared  his  host  might  not  have  the  good  sense  to 
avoid  a  scene  even  in  his  own  hull.  Had  it  been 
the  Duchess,  all  would  have  been  well,  for  she  was 
a  lady  of  infinite  tact,  but  the  Duke,  as  he  had  said, 
was  a  stupid  man,  who  needed  the  constant  eye  of 
his  wife  upon  him  to  restrain  him  from  blundering. 
The  young  man  whispered,  "  Keep  right  on  until 
you  are  in  your  carriage.  I  shall  ask  my  man  here 
to  call  it  for  you,  but  please  don't  drive  away  until 
I  come." 

A  sign  brought  a  serving-man  up  the  stairs. 

"Call  the  carriage  of  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer,"  said  his  master ;  then,  as  the  lady  de- 
scended the  stair,  Lord  Dona>  turned,  with  no  very 
thankful  feeling  in  his  heart,  to  hear  what  his 
host  had  to  say. 

"  Lord  Donal,  the  American  Ambassador  says 
that  woman  is  not  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer, 
but  is  someone  of  no  importance  whom  he  has  met 
several  times  in  London.  He  cannot  remember  her 
name.  Now,  who  is  she,  and  how  did  you  come  to 
meet  her  ?  " 


JENNIE  WITH   THE  ELITE.  121 

"  My  Lord  Duke,  it  never  occurred  to  me  to 
question  the  identity  of  guests  I  met  under  your 
hospitable  roof.  I  knew  the  Princess  five  years  ago 
in  Washington,  before  she  was  married.  I  have  not 
seen  her  in  the  interval,  but  until'  you  showed  me 
the  telegraphic  message  there  was  no  question  in 
my  mind  regarding  her." 

•'  But  the  American  Ambassador  is  positive." 

"  Then  he  has  more  confidence  in  his  eyesight 
than  I  have.  If  such  a  question,  like  international 
difficulties,  is  to  be  settled  by  the  Embassies,  let  us 
refer  it  to  Austria,  who  held  a  long  conversation 
with  the  lady  in  my  presence.  Your  Excellency," 
he  continued,  to  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  who  was 
hovering  near,  waiting  to  speak  to  his  host,  "the 
Duke  of  Chiselhurst  has  some  doubt  that  the  lady 
who  has  just  departed  is  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer.  You  spoke  with  her,  and  can  therefore 
decide  with  authority,  for  his  Grace  seems  disin- 
clined to  accept  my  testimony." 

"  Not  the  Princess  ?  Nonsense.  I  know  her 
very  well,  indeed,  and  a  most  charming  lady  she  is. 
I  hope  to  be  her  guest  again  before  many  months 
are  past." 

"There,  my  Lord  Duke,  you  see  everything  is  as 
it  should  be.     If  you  will  give  me  that  stupid  tel- 


I  n 


m 


Mi 


Nl: 


p 


122     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

egram,  I  will  make  some  quiet  enquiries  about  it. 
Meanwhile,  the  less  said  the  better.  I  will  see  the 
American  Ambassador  and  convince  him  of  his 
error.  And  now  I  must  make  what  excuses  I  can 
to  the  Princess  for  my  desertion  of  her." 

Placing  the  telegram  in  his  pocket,  he  hurried 
down  the  stair  and  out  to  the  street.  There  had 
been  some  delay  about  the  coming  of  the  carriage, 
and  he  saw  the  lady  he  sought,  at  that  moment  en- 
tering it. 

"  Home  at  once,  as  fast  as  you  can,"  he  heard  her 
say  to  the  coachman.  She  had  evidently  no  in- 
tention of  waiting  for  him.  He  sprang  forward, 
thrust  his  arm  through  the  carriage  window,  and 
grasped  her  hand. 

"  Princess,"  he  cried,  "  you  will  not  leave  me  like 
this.     I  must  see  you  to-morrow." 

"  No,  no,"  she  gasped,  shrinking  into  the  corner 
of  the  carriage. 

"  You  cannot  be  so  cruel.  Tell  me  at  least  where 
a  letter  will  reach  you.  I  shall  not  release  your 
hand  until  you  promise." 

With  a  quick  movement  the  girl  turned  back  the 
gauntlet  of  her  long  glove ;  the  next  instant  the 
carriage  was  rattling  down  the  street,  while  a  cha- 


JENNIE  WITH  THE  fiLITE.  123 

grined  young  man  stood  alone  on  the  kerb  with  a 
long,  slender  white  glove  in  his  hand. 

"  By  Jove  ! "  he  said  at  last,  as  he  folded  it  care- 
fully and  placed  it  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat.  "  It 
is  the  glove  this  time,  instead  of  the  slipper  I " 


I 


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il 


CHAPTER  IX. 

JENNIE  REALISES  THAT  GREAT  EVENTS  CAST  THEIR 
SHADOWS  BEHIND. 

Jennie  Baxter  reached  her  hotel  as  quickly  as 
a  fast  pair  of  horses  could  take  hen  She  had 
succeeded,  yet  a  few  rebellious  tears  of  disappoint- 
ment trickled  down  her  cheeks  now  that  she  was 
alone  in  the  semi-darkness  of  the  carriage.  She 
thought  of  the  eager  young  man  left  standing  dis- 
consolately on  the  kerb,  with  her  glove  dangling  in 
his  hand,  and  she  bitterly  regretted  that  unkind 
fort"ne  had  made  it  possible  for  her  to  meet  him  only 
under  false  pretenses.  One  coj  .solation  was  that  he 
had  no  clue  to  her  identity,  and  she  was  resolved 
never,  never  to  see  him  again ;  yet,  such  is  the  contra- 
riness of  human  nature,  no  sooner  was  she  refreshed 
by  this  determination  than  her  tears  flowed  more 
freely  than  ever.  ^  s 

She  knew  that  she  was  as  capable  of  enjoying 
scenes  like  the  function  she  had  just  left  ?.«  any 
who  were  there ;  as  fitted  for  them  by  education, 


111 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  125 

by  personal  appearance,  or  by  natural  gifts  of  the 
mind,  as  the  most  welcome  of  the  Duchess's  guests ; 
yet  she  was  barred  out  from  them  as  effectually  as 
was  ^he  lost  Peri  at  the  closed  gate.  Why  had 
capricious  fate  selected  two  girls  of  probably  equal 
merit,  and  made  one  a  princess,  while  the  other  had 
to  work  hard  night  and  day  for  the  mere  right  to 
live  ?  Nothing  is  so  ineffectual  as  the  little  word 
"  why  " ;   it  asks,  but  never  answers. 

With  a  deep  sigh  Jennie  dried  her  tears  as  the 
carriage  pulled  up  at  the  portal  of  the  hotel.  The 
sigh  dismissed  all  frivolities,  all  futile  "  whys  " ;  the 
girl  was  now  face  to  face  with  the  realities  of  life, 
and  the  events  she  had  so  recently  taken  part  in 
would  soon  blend  themselves  into  a  dream. 

Dismissing  the  carriage,  and  walking  briskly 
through  the  hall,  she  said  to  the  night  porter, — 

"  Have  a  hansom  at  the  door  for  me  in  fifteen 
minutes." 

"  A  hansom,  my  lady  ?  "  gasped  the  astonished 
man. 

"Yes."  She  slipped  a  sovereign  into  his  hand 
and  ran  lightly  up  the  stairs.  The  porte  was  well 
accustomed  to  the  vagaries  of  great  ladies — although 
a  hansom  at  midnight  was  rather  beyond  his  experi- 
ence.    But  if  all  womankind  tipped  so  generously, 


{ 

'■  1 

;■;■■ 

M 

$  !i 

5  .  'i. 

\H             , 

I'll 

0 

i 

l[: 

■[ 

126     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


they  might  order  an  omnibus,  and  welcome ;  so  the 
hansom  was  speedily  at  the  door. 

Jennie  roused  the  drowsy  maid  who  was  sitting 
up  for  her. 

"  Come,"  she  said,  "  you  must  get  everything 
packed  at  one  „  Lay  out  my  ordinary  dress  and 
help  me  off  with  this." 

"Where  is  your  other  glove,  my  lady?"  asked 
the  maid,  busily  unhooking  and  untying. 

"  Lost.  Don't  trouble  about  it.  When  every- 
thing is  packed  get  some  sleep,  and  leave  word  to 
be  called  in  time  for  the  eight  o'clock  express  for 
Paris.  Here  is  money  to  pay  the  bill  and  your 
fare.  It  is  likely  I  shall  join  you  at  the  station  ; 
but  if  I  do  not,  go  to  our  hotel  in  Paris,  and  wait 
for  me  there.  Say  nothing  of  our  destination 
to  anyone,  and  answer  no  questions  regarding  me, 
should  enquiries  be  made.  Are  you  sure  you 
understand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  lady." 

A  few  moments  later  Jennie  was  in  the  cab, 
driving  through  the  nearly  deserted  streets.  She 
dismissed  her  vehicle  at  Charing  Cross,  walked 
down  the  Strand,  until  she  got  another,  then  pro- 
ceeded direct  to  the  office  of  the  Daily  Bugle, 
whose  upper  windows  formed  a  row  of  lights,  all 


r 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  127 

the  more  brilliant  because  of  the  intense  darkness 
below. 

She  found  the  shorthand  writers  waiting  for  her. 
The  editor  met  her  at  the  door  of  the  room  re- 
served for  her,  and  said,  with  visible  anxiety  on  his 
brow,  "  Well,  what  success  ?  " 

"  Complete  success,"  she  answered,  shortly. 

"  Good  !  "  he  replied,  emphatically.  "  Now  I 
propose  to  read  the  type-written  sheets  as  they 
come  from  the  machine,  correct  them  for  obvious 
clerical  errors,  and  send  them  right  away  to  the 
compositors.  You  can,  perhaps,  glance  over  the 
final  proofs,  which  will  be  ready  almost  as  soon  as 
you  have  finished." 

"  Very  well.  Look  closely  to  the  spelling  of 
proper  names  and  verify  titles.  There  won't  be 
much  time  for  me  to  go  carefully  over  the  last 
proofs." 

"  All  right.  You  furnish  the  material,  and  I'll 
see  that  it's  used  to  the  best  advantage." 

Jennie  entered  the  room,  and  there  at  a  desk  sat 
the  waiting  stenographer ;  over  his  head  hung  the 
b'lb  of  an  electric  light,  its  green  circular  shade 
throwing  the  white  rays  directly  down  on  his  open 
notebook.  The  girl  was  once  more  in  the  working 
world,  and  its  bracing  air  acted  as  a  tonic  to  her 


\m 


f 

.  f- 


iiP 


! 


1! 

iiii 


l'iil|iirl>  ' 
■"1  ilil  1 


it  S    :  :3 
P      ' 


128     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

over-wrought  nerves.  All  longii;~s  and  regrets  had 
been  put  off  with  the  Paris-made  gown  which  the 
maid  at  that  moment  was  carefully  packing  away. 
The  order  of  nature  seemed  reversed  ;  the  butter- 
fly had  abandoned  its  gorgeous  wings  of  gauze,  and 
was  habited  in  the  sombre  working  garb  of  the 
grub.  With  her  hands  clasped  behind  her,  the 
girl  paced  up  and  down  the  room,  pouring  forth 
words,  two  hundred  to  the  minute,  and  sometimes 
more.  Silently  one  stenographer,  tiptoeing  in,  re- 
placed another,  who  as  silently  departed ;  and  from 
the  adjoining  room,  the  subdued,  nervous,  rapid 
click,  click  of  the  typewriting  machine  invaded, 
without  disturbing,  her  consciousness.  Towards 
three  o'clock  the  low  drone  of  the  rotaries  in  the 
cellar  made  itself  felt  rather  than  heard ;  the  early 
edition  for  the  country  was  being  run  off.  Time 
was  flying — danced  away  by  nimble  feet  in  the 
West  End,  worked  away  by  nimble  fingers  in  Fleet 
Street  (well-named  thoroughfare) ;  play  and  work, 
work  and  play,  each  supplementing  the  other ;  the 
acts  of  the  frivolous  recorded  by  the  industrious. 

When  a  little  more  than  three  hours'  dictating 
was  finished,  the  voice  of  the  girl,  now  as  hoarse  as 
formerly  it  had  been  musical,  ceased  ;  she  dropped 
into  a  chair  and  rested  her  tired  head  on  the  de- 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  129 

serted  desk,  closing  her  wearied  eyes.  She  knew 
she  had  spoken  between  1 5,000  and  20,000  words,  a 
number  almost  equal  in  quantity  to  that  contained 
in  many  a  book  which  had  made  an  author's  fame 
and  fortune.  And  all  for  the  ephemeral  reading  of 
a  day — of  a  forenoon,  more  likely — to  be  forgotten 
when  the  evening  journals  came  out ! 

Shortly  after  the  typewriter  gave  its  final  click 
the  editor  came  in. 

♦*  I  didn't  like  to  disturb  you  while  you  were  at 
work,  and  so  I  kept  at  my  own  task,  which  was  no 
light  one,  and  thus  I  appreciate  the  enormous 
strain  that  has  rested  on  you.  Your  account  is 
magnificent.  Miss  Baxter;  just  what  wanted,  and 
never  hoped  to  get." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  it,"  said  the  girl,  laughing 
somewhat  dismally  at  the  croaking  sound  of  her 
own  voice. 

"  I  need  not  ask  you  if  you  were  there,  for  no  per- 
son but  one  who  was  present,  and  one  who  knew 
how  to  describe,  could  have  produced  such  a  vivid 
account  of  it  all.     How  did  you  get  in  ?  " 

"In  where?"  murmured  Jennie,  drowsily.  She 
found  difficulty  in  keeping  her  mind  on  what  he  was 
saying. 

"  To  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball." 


I        '^! 


I 


i!i 


if 


I,      U.     i 


H 


130     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Oh,  getting  in  was  easy  enough  ;  it  was  the  get- 
ting out  that  was  the  trouble." 

"  Like  prison,  eh  ?  "  suggested  the  editor.  "  Now, 
will  you  have  a  little  wine,  or  something  stronger?" 

"  No,  no.     All  I  need  is  rest." 

"  Then  let  me  call  a  cab ;  I  will  see  you  home,  if 
you  will  permit  me." 

"  I  am  too  tired  to  go  home  ;  I  shall  remain  here 
until  morning." 

"  Nonsense.  You  must  go  home  and  sleep  for  a 
week  if  you  want  to.  Rouse  up  ;  I  believe  you 
are  talking  in  your  sleep  now." 

"  I  understand  perfectly  what  you  are  saying  and 
what  I  am  doing.  I  have  work  that  must  be 
attended  to  at  eight.  Please  leave  orders  that  some 
one  is  to  call  me  at  seven  and  bring  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  biscuits,  or  rolls  or  anything  that  is  to  be  had 
at  that  hour.  And  please  don't  trouble  further.  I 
am  very  thankful  to  you,  but  will  express  myself 
better  later  on." 

V/ith  this  the  editor  had  to  be  content,  and  was 
shortly  on  his  way  to  his  own  well-earned  rest.  To 
Jennie  it  seemed  but  a  moment  after  he  had  gone, 
that  the  porter  placed  cot  ee  and  rolls  on  the  desk 
beside  her, saying,  "Seven  o'clock,  miss!" 

The  coffee  refreshed  the  girl,  and  as  she  passed 


e  get- 
Now, 
ger? 

Dine,  if 

in  here 

p  for  a 
jve  you 

ing  and 
lust  be 
lat  some 
){  coffee 
,  be  had 
rther.  I 
,s  myself 

and  was 
rest.  To 
lad  gone, 

the  desk 

he  passed 


"l  HAVE  CHANGED  MY   MIND,   AND  WII.L  NOT   CO    TO   PARIS  JUST  NOW." 

—Page   /JI. 


'\l 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  131 

through  the  editorial  rooms  she  noted  their  forlorn, 
dishevelled  appearance,  which  all  places  show  when 
seen  at  an  unaccustomed  hour,  their  time  of  activity 
and  bustle  past.  The  rooms  were  littered  with  torn 
papers;  waste-baskets  overflowing;  looking  silent, 
scrappy,  and  abandoned  in  the  grey  morning  light, 
which  seemed  intrusive,  usurping  the  place  of  the 
usual  artificial  illumination,  and  betraying  a  bareness 
which  the  other  concealed.  Jennie  recognised  a 
relationship  between  her  own  up-all-night  feeling 
and  the  spirit  of  the  deserted  rooms. 

At  the  railway  station  she  found  her  maid  waiting 
for  her,  surrounded  by  luggage. 

"  Have  you  got  your  ticket  ?  ** 

"Yes,  my  lady." 

"  I  have  changed  my  mind,  and  will  not  go  to 
Paris  just  now.  Ask  a  porter  to  put  those  trunks 
in  the  left-luggage  office,  and  bring  me  the  keys  and 
the  receipt." 

When  this  was  done  and  money  matters  had  been 
adjusted  between  them,  Jennie  gave  the  girl  five 
pounds  more  than  was  due  to  her,  and  saw  her  into 
the  railway  carriage,  well  pleased  with  the  reward- 
A  hansom  brought  Jennie  to  her  flat,  and  so  ended 
the  exhausting  episode  of  the  Duchess  of  Chisel- 
hurst's  ball. 


f?'! 
( 


;i 


]i  •■     < 


fr|r 


132     JKNNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Yet  an  event,  like  a  malady,  leaves  numerous  con- 
sequences in  its  train,  extending,  who  shall  say 
how  far  into  the  future  ?  The  first  symptom  of  these 
consequences  was  a  correspondence,  and,  as  there  is 
no  reading  more  dreary  than  a  series  of  letters, 
merely  their  substance  is  given  here. 

When  Jennie  was  herself  again,  she  wrote  a  long 
letter  to  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer,  detailing  the 
particulars  of  her  impersonation,  and  begging  par- 
don for  what  she  had  done,  while  giving  her  reasons 
for  doing  it ;  but,  perhaps  because  it  did  not  occur 
to  her,  she  made  not  the  slightest  reference  to  Lord 
Donal  Stirling.  Two  answers  came  to  this — one  a 
registered  packet  containing  the  diamonds  whic^ 
the  Princess  had  previously  offered  to  her ;  the 
other  a  letter  from  the  Princess's  own  hand.  The 
glitter  of  the  diamonds  showed  Jennie  that  she  had 
been  speedily  forgiven,  and  the  letter  corroborated 
this.  In  fact,  the  Princess  upbraided  her  for  not 
letting  her  into  the  secret  earlier.  "  It  is  just  the 
jolly  kind  of  thing  I  should  have  delighted  in," 
wrote  her  Highness.  "  And  then,  if  I  had  known, 
I  should  not  have  sent  that  unlucky  telegram.  It 
serves  you  right  for  not  taking  me  into  your  con- 
fidence, and  I  am  glad  you  had  a  fright.  Think  of 
it  coming  in  at  that  inopportune  moment,  just  as 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  133 


telegrams  do  at  a  play  !  But,  Jennie,  arc  you  sure 
you  told  me  everything?  A  ictt^r  came  from  Lon- 
don the  day  before  yours  arrived,  and  it  bewildered 
me  dreadfully  at  first.  Don  Stirling,  whom  I  used 
to  know  at  Washington  (a  conceited  young  fellow 
he  was  then — I  hope  he  has  improved  since),  wrote 
to  say  that  he  had  met  a  girl  at  the  Duchess  of 
Chiselhurst's  ball,  who  had  a  letter  inviting  the 
Princess  von  Steinhcimer  to  the  festivity.  He 
thought  at  first  she  was  the  Princess  (which  is  very 
complimentary  to  each  of  us),  but  found  later  that 
she  wasn't.  Now  he  v\  ants  to  know,  you  know,  and 
thinks,  quite  reasonably,  that  I  must  have  some 
inkling  who  that  girl  was,  and  he  begs  me  by  our  old 
friendship,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  He  is  a  nice  young  man, 
if  a  trifle  confident  (these  young  diplomatists  think 
they  hold  the  reins  of  the  universe  in  their  hands), 
and  I  should  like  to  oblige  him,  but  I  thought  first 
I  would  hear  what  you  had  to  say  about  it.  I 
am  to  address  him  care  of  the  Embassy  at  St. 
Petersburg,  so  I  suppose  he's  stationed  there  now. 
By  the  way,  how  did  he  get  your  glove,  or  is  that 
merely  brag  on  his  part?  He  says  that  it  is  the 
only  clue  he  has,  and  he  is  going  to  trace  you  from 
that,  it  seems,  if  I  do  not  tell  him  who  you  are  and 


! 


!■■< 


134     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

send  him  your  address.  Now,  what  am  I  to  say 
when  I  write  to  St.  Petersburg  ?  " 

In  reply  to  this,  Jennie  sent  a  somewhat  inco- 
herent letter,  very  different  from  her  usual  style  of 
writing.  She  had  not  mentioned  the  young  man  in 
her  former  communication,  she  said,  because  she 
had  been  trying  to  forget  the  incident  in  v/hich  he 
was  the  central  figure.  In  no  circumstances  could 
she  meet  him  again,  and  she  implored  the  Princess 
not  to  disclose  her  identity  to  him,  even  by  a  hint. 
She  explained  the  glove  episode  exactly  as  it 
happened ;  she  was  compelled  to  sacrifice  the  glove 
to  release  her  hand.  He  had  been  very  kind  in 
helping  her  to  escape  from  a  fal.ie  position,  but  it 
would  be  too  humiliating  for  her  ever  to  see  him 
or  speak  with  him  again. 

When  this  letter  reached  the  Schloss  at  Meran, 
the  Princess  telegraphed  to  London,  "  Send  me  the 
other  glove,"  and  Jennie  sen*  it.  A  few  days  later 
came  a  communication  from  the  Princess. 

"  I  have  puzzled  our  young  man  quite  effectually, 
I  think,  clever  as  he  imagines  himself  to  be.  I 
wrote  him  a  semi-indignant  letter  to  St.  Petersburg, 
and  said  I  thought  all  along  he  had  not  really 
recognised  me  at  the  ball,  in  spite  of  his  protesta- 
tions at  first.    Then    I     saw   how  easily  he    was 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.   135 

deluded  into  the  belief  that  I  was  some  other 
woman,  and  so  the  temptation  to  cozen  him  further 
was  irresistible.  'Am  I  not  a  good  actress?'  I 
asked  him.  I  went  on  to  say,  with  some  show  of 
anger,  that  a  quiet  flirtation  in  the  gallery  was  all 
very  well  in  its  way,  but  when  it  came  to  a  young 
man  rushing  in  a  frenzy  bare-herded  into  the  street 
after  a  respectable  married  woman  who  had  just  got 
into  her  carriage  and  was  about  to  drive  away,  it 
was  too  much  altogether— and  thus  he  came  into 
possession  of  the  glove.  As  the  remaining  glove 
was  of  no  use  to  me,  I  had  great  pleasure  in  sending 
it  to  him,  but  warned  him  that  if  the  story  of  the 
gloves  ever  came  to  the  ears  of  my  husband,  I 
should  deny  having  either  owned  or  worn  them.  I 
should  like  to  see  Don's  amazed  look  when  the 
other  glove  drops  out  of  my  letter,  which  was  a 
bulky  package  and  cost  ever  so  much  in  postage.  I 
think  the  sending  of  the  glove  was  an  inspiration. 
I  fancy  that  his  Lordship  will  be  now  completely 
deluded,  and  that  you  need  have  no  further  fear  of 
his  finding  you." 

Jennie  read  this  letter  over  once  or  twice,  and  in 
spite  of  her  friendly  feeling  for  the  Princess  there 
was  something  in  the  epistle  that  jarred  on  her. 
Nevertheless  !>he  wrote  and  thanked  the  Princess 


i  1 


Ittl 


Mi 


M 


136     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

for  what  she  had  done,  and  then  she  tried  to  for- 
get all  about  everything  pertaining  to  the  ball. 
However,  she  was  not  allowed  to  erase  all  thought 
of  Lord  Donal  from  her  mind,  even  if  she  could 
have  accomplished  this  task  unimpeded.  There 
shortly  arrived  a  brief  note  from  the  Princess  en- 
closing a  letter  the  young  diplomatist  at  St.  Peters- 
burg had  written. 

"  Dear  Princess  "  (it  ran), — "  I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  you  for  the  companion  glove,  as  1  am 
thus  enabled  to  keep  one  and  use  the  other  as  a 
clue.  I  see  you  not  only  know  who  the  mysterious 
young  lady  is,  but  that  you  have  since  met  her,  or 
at  least  have  been  in  correspondence  with  her.  If 
the  glove  does  not  lead  rr  e  to  the  hand,  I  shall  pay 
a  visit  to  you  in  the  hope  that  you  will  atone  for 
your  present  cruelty  by  telling  me  where  to  find 
the  owner  of  both  glove  and  hand." 

With  regard  to  this  note  the  Princess  had  written, 
"  Don  is  not  such  a  fool  as  I  took  him  to  be.  He 
must  have  improved  during  the  last  few  years.  I 
wish  you  would  write  and  tell  me  exactly  what  he 
said  to  you  that  evening." 

But  with  this  wish  Jennie  did  not  comply.  She 
merely  again  urged  the  Princess  never  to  divulge 
the  secret. 


■■         \        -  ■  "         . 

EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  137 

For  many  days  Jennie  heard  nothing  more  from 
any  of  the  actors  in  the  little  comedy,  and  the 
episode  began  to  take  on  in  her  thoughts  that  air 
of  unreality  which  remote  events  seem  to  gather 
round  them.  She  went  on  with  her  daily  work  to 
the  satisfaction  of  her  employers  and  the  augmen- 
tation of  her  own  banking  account,  although  no 
experience  worthy  of  record  occurred  in  her  routine 
for  several  weeks.  But  a  lull  in  a  newspaper  office 
is  seldom  of  long  duration. 

One  afternoon  Mr.  Hardwick  came  to  the  desk  at 
which  Jennie  was  at  work,  and  said  to  her, — 

"  Cadbury  Taylor  called  here  yesterday,  and  was 
very  anxious  to  see  you.  Has  he  been  in  again 
this  afternoon  ?" 

"You  mean  the  detective?  No,  I  haven't  seen 
him  since  that  day  at  the  Schloss  Steinhcimer. 
What  did  he  want  with  me?  " 

"  As  far  as  I  was  able  to  understand,  he  has  a 
very  important  case  on  hand — a  sort  of  romance  in 
high  life  ;  and  I  think  he  wants  your  assistance  to 
unravel  it ;  it  seems  to  be  baffling  him." 

"  It  is  not  very  difficult  to  baffle  Mr.  Cadbury 
Taylor,"  said  the  girl,  looking  up  at  her  employer 
with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  eye. 

"  Well,  he  appears  to  be  in  a  fog  now,  and  he  ex- 


.:,  t 


I     •■!!: 


i    W 


!■ 


i 


iiBBI 


f 


/ 


138     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

pressed  himself  to  me  as  being  very  much  taken 
with  th«  neat  way  in  which  you  unravelled  th«  dia- 
mond mystery  at  Meran,  so  he  thinks  you  may  be 
of  great  assistance  to  him  in  his  present  difficulty, 
and  is  willing  to  pay  in  cash  or  in  kind." 

"  Cash  payment  I  understand,"  said  the  girl, 
*•  but  what  does  he  mean  by  payment  in  kind  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  is  willing  that  you  should  make  a  sensa- 
tional article  out  of  the  episode.  It  deals  entirely, 
he  says,  with  persons  in  high  life — titled  persons — 
and  so  it  might  make  an  interesting  column  or  two 
for  the  paper." 

"  I  see — providing,  of  course,  that  the  tangled 
skein  was  unravelled  by  the  transcendent  genius  of 
Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor,"  said  the  girl, cynically. 

"  I  don't  think  he  wants  his  name  mentioned," 
continued  the  editor ;  "  in  fact,  he  said  that  it 
wouldn't  do  to  refer  to  him  at  all,  for  if  people  dis- 
covered that  he  made  public  any  of  the  cases  in- 
trusted to  him,  he  would  lose  his  business.  He 
has  been  working  on  this  problem  for  several  weeks, 
and  I  believe  has  made  little  progress  towards  its 
solution.  His  client  is  growing  impatient,  so  it 
occurred  to  the  detective  you  might  consent  to 
help  him.  He  said,  with  a  good  deal  of  compla- 
cency, that  he  did  not  know  you  were  connected 


EVENTS  CAST  SHADOWS  BEHIND.  139 

with  the  BugUy  but  he  put  his  wits  at  work  and 
has  traced  you  to  this  office." 

"  How  clever  he  is !  "  said  Jennie,  laughing  ;  "  I 
am  sure  I  made  no  secret  of  the  fact  that  I  work  for 
the  Daily  BugU:' 

"  I  think  Mr.  Taylor  will  have  no  hesitation  in 
agreeing  with  you  that  he  is  clever ;  nevertheless,  it 
might  be  worth  while  to  see  him  and  to  assist  him 
if  you  can,  because  nothing  so  takes  the  public  as  a 
romance  in  high  life.  Here  is  his  address ;  would 
you  mind  calling  on  him  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  the  young  woman,  copying 
the  street  and  number  in  her  note-book. 


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CHAPTER  X. 

JENNIE  ASSISTS  IN  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF. 

Next  day  Jennie  Baxter  drove  to  the  address 
the  editor  had  given  her,  and  she  found  Mr.  Cadbury 
Taylor  at  home,  in  somewhat  sumptuous  offices  on 
the  first  floor.  Fastened  to  his  door  was  a  brass 
plate,  which  exposed  to  public  view  the  carven 
words — 

Cadbury  Taylor, 
Private  Enquiry  Agent. 

The  detective  was  quite  evidently  very  glad  to 
see  her. 

"  I  intended  calling  to-day  at  the  office  of  the 
Bugle  on  the  chance  of  finding  you,"  he  said ;  "but 
I  am  delighted  to  meet  you  here,  because  we  can 
talk  without  fear  of  interruption.  Has  the  editor 
told  you  anything  of  this  case  ?  " 

"  Very  little ;  he  didn't  seem  to  know  much  about 
it  himself." 

"  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  go  into  full  particu- 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  141 

lars  with  him.  I  could  only  give  him  a  hint  or  two 
in  order  to  convey  to  him  some  idea  of  the  interest 
which  the  mystery,  when  solved,  might  have  from 
a  newspaper  standpoint.  Of  course  I  wished  to 
gain  his  assistance  so  that  he  might,  perhaps,  per- 
suade you  to  help  me  in  this  matter." 

"  He  seems  to  be  quite  willing  that  I  should  lend 
what  aid  I  can,"  said  Jennie ;  "  but  I  must  have  full 
details  before  I  promise.  I  have  a  good  deal  of 
work  on  hand,  and,  unless  this  case  is  interesting 
from  a  newspaper  point  of  view,  as  you  have 
just  said,  I  don't  think  that  I  should  care  to  touch 
it." 

"Oh,  you  will  find  it  of  great  interest,"  the 
detective  assured  her,  with  much  eagerness.  "  It 
relates  to  the  sudden  and  hitherto  unexplained  dis- 
appearance of  a  woman.  That  of  itself  is  absorb- 
ing, for  I  may  tell  you,  as  one  having  a  large  experi- 
ence, that  there  is  nothing  more  difficult  in  this 
world  than  for  any  person,  and  more  especially  for 
a  woman,  to  disappear  entirely  and  leave  no  trace 
behind." 

"  I  should  have  thought  it  quite  easy,"  said  Jen- 
nie, "  especially  in  a  large  city  like  London." 

"  You  have  given  expression  to  the  universal 
opinion,  but  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  a  com- 


m 


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142     JENNIE  BAXTER.  JOURNALIST. 

pletely  successful  disappearance  is  one  of  the  most 
rare  events  that  we  detectives  have  to  meet  with  in 
our  line  of  investigation." 

"  Please  tell  me  the  story,"  said  tht  r^irl,  "  then 
we  can  speak  more  understandingly  about  it." 

1  he  detective  selected  a  packet  of  papers,  one  of 
many  which  occu'  *ed  the  end  of  his  table.  He 
slipped  from  it  a  rubber  band  which  held  the  docu- 
ments together. 

"  The  first  act  of  the  drama,  if  we  may  call  it  so, 
began  at  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball." 

"  The  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball ! "  echoed 
Jennie,  with  a  shudder.     "  Oh,  dear !  " 

The  detective  looked  up  at  her. 

"  Wh>  do  you  say  *  Oh,  dear '  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Because,"  said  the  girl,  wearily,  "  I  am  tired 
hearing  of  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball ;  there 
seems  to  have  been  nothing  else  in  the  papers  for 
weeks  past." 

"  It  has  excited  a  great  deal  of  comment,"  as- 
sented the  detective ;  "  and,  by  the  way,  the  Daily 
Bugle  had  one  of  the  best  accounts  of  it  that  was 
printed  in  any  newspaper." 

"  So  I  have  heard,"  said  Jennie, carelessly,  "but  I 
must  confess  that  I  didn't  read  that  copy  of  the 
Bugler 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  143 

"You  amaze  me!  I  should  have  thought  that 
would  have  been  the  first  part  of  the  paper  to  which 
any  lady  would  turn.  However,  the  report  of  the 
ball  has  nothing  to  do  with  what  we  have  in  hand. 
Now,  you  remember  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer, 
at  whose  castle  I  first  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
you?" 

"You  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  me  before 
that,"  said  Jennie,  speaking  without  giving  thought 
to  what  she  said. 

"Really!"  cried  the  detective,  dropping  his  pa- 
pers on  the  table ;  "  and  where  was  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  as  you  have  just  said — it  has  nothing 
to  do  with  this  case.  Perhaps  I  was  wrong  in  say- 
ing you  saw  me ;  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say 
that  I  saw  you.  You  must  remember  that  you  are 
a  public  character,  Mr.  Taylor." 

"  Ah,  quite  so,"  said  the  detective  complacently, 
turning  to  his  documents  again.  "  Now,  the 
Princess  von  Steinheimer  was  invited  to  the  Duchess 
of  Chiselhurst's  ball,  but  she  did  not  attend  it." 

*'  Are  you  sure  of  that  ? "  said  the  girl.  "  I 
thought  her  name  was  among  the  list  of  those 
present." 

"  It  was  in  the  list,  and  that  is  just  where  our 
mystery  begins.    Someone  else  attended  the  h^M 


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144     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

as  the  PrinccFS  von  Steinheimcr ;  it  is  this  person 
that  I  wish  to  find." 

"Ah,  then  you  are  employed  by  the  Duke  of 
Chiselhurst?" 

"  No,  I  am  not,  for,  strangely  enough,  I  believe 
the  Duke  thinks  it  was  actually  the  Princess  who 
attended  the  ball.  Or'y  one  man  kiiowb  that  the 
Princess  was  not  present,  one  man  and  two  women. 
Of  the  latter  one  is  the  Princei:s  von  Steinheimer, 
and  the  other,  the  lady  who  impersonated  her. 
The  one  man  is  Lord  Donal  Stirling,  of  the 
Diplomatic  Service,  whose  name  is  no  doubt  famil- 
iar to  you.  Lord  Donal  has  done  me  the  honour 
to  place  the  case  in  my  hands." 

"  Why  does  his  lordship  wish  to  find  this — this — 
fraudulent  person?"  asked  Jennie,  speaking  slowly 
and  with  difficulty. 

**  Because,"  said  the  detective,  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  "  he  is  in  love 
with  her." 

"  What  makes  you  think  that  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  it,  I  know  it.  Listen  to  his 
description  of  her." 

The  detective  chose  a  paper  from  among  his  pile 
of  documents,  folded,  Ubelled,  and  docketed  for 
reference, 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  145 

"  '  The  girl  is  of  average  height,  or  perhaps  a 
trifle  taller  than  the  average  ;  carrier  herself 
superbly,  like  a  born  duchess.  Her  eyes  are  of  a 
deep,  velvety  black — '  '* 

♦*  Dear  me !  "  cried  the  girl,  "  he  describes  her  as 
if  she  were  a  cat  !  " 

••  Wait  a  moment,"  said  the  detective. 

•'  I  don't  see  much  trace  of  love  in  that,"  con- 
tinued Jennie,  breathlessly. 

"Wait  a  moment,"  repeated  the  detective. 
"  •  They  light  up  and  sparkle  with  merriment,  and 
they  melt  into  the  most  entrancing  tenderness.' " 

"  Good  gracious !  "  cried  Jennie,  rising,"  the  conceit 
of  the  man  is  illimitable.  Does  he  mean  to  intimate 
that  he  saw  tenderness  for  himself  in  the  eyes  of  a 
woman  he  had  met  for  an  hour  or  two  ?  '* 

"That's  just  it,"  said  the  detective,  laughing. 
"You  see  the  man  is  head  over  ears  in  love. 
Please  sit  down  again,  Miss  Baxter,  and  listen.  I 
know  this  sentimental  kind  of  writing  must  be  irk- 
some to  a  practical  woman  like  yourself,  but  in  our 
business  we  cannot  neglect  even  the  slightest 
detail.  Let's  see,  where  was  I  ? — '  tenderness ' ;  oh, 
yes.  •  Her  hair  ii,  of  midnight  darkness,  inclined 
to  ripple,  with  little  whiffs  ot  curls  inaperiously 
defying   restraint   about   her   temples.     Her  com- 


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146     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

plexion  is  as  pure  as  the  dawn,  touched  now  and 
then  with  a  blush  as  delicate  as  the  petal  of  a 
rose.'  " 

*'  Absurd  !  "  cried  Jennie,  impatiently.  "  The 
LOinplexion  of  a  woman  at  a  ball !  Of  course,  she 
put  it  on  for  the  occasion." 

"  Of  course,"  agreed  the  detective.  "  But  that 
merely  shows  you  how  deeply  in  love  he  is.  Lord 
Doiial  is  quite  a  young  man.  He  came  up  to  this 
room  to  consult  with  me  and  certainly  he  doesn't 
know  the  difference  between  a  complexion 
developed  in  a  Surrey  lane  and  one  purchased  in 
New  Bond  Street." 

*'  Still  the  blushing  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  complexion  was  genuine,"  retorted  Jennie, 
apparently  quite  unflattered  by  Mr.  Taylor's  agree- 
ment  with  the  theory  she  herself  had  put  forward. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that.  I  believe  modern 
science  enables  an  enamelled  woman  to  blush  at 
will ;  I  wouldn't  be  sure  of  it,  because  it  is  outside 
of  my  own  line  of  investigation,  but  I  have  under- 
stood  such  is  the  case." 

"  Very  likely,"  assented  Jennie.  "  What  is  that 
you  have  at  the  bottom  of  your  packet?" 

"  That,"  said  the  detective,  drawing  it  forth  and 
handing  it  to  the  girl,  "  is  her  glove." 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  147 


I 


Jennie  picked  up  the  glove — which,  alas !  she 
had  paid  for  and  only  worn  on  one  occasion — 
and  smoothed  it  out  between  her  fingers.  It  was 
docketed  "  G ;  made  by  Gaunt  et  Cie,  Boulevard 
Hausmann ;  purchased  in  Paris  by  one  alleging  her- 
self to  be  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer." 

"You  have  found  out  all  about  it,"  said  Jennie, 
as  she  finished  reading  the  label. 

"  Yes,  it  is  our  business  to  do  so  ;  but  the  glove 
has  not  been  of  much  assistance  to  us." 

"  How  did  he  say  he  became  possessed  of  the 
glove?"  asked  the  girl, innocently.  '  Did  she  give 
it  to  him  ?  " 

"No  ;  he  tore  it  from  her  hand  as  she  was  leav- 
ing him  in  the  carriage.  It  seem°d  to  me  a  most 
ungentlemanly  thing  to  do,  but  of  course,  it  was  not 
my  business  to  tt!!  Lord  Donal  that." 

"  So  the  glove  has  not  been  of  much  assistance 
to  you  ?  Tell  me,  then,  what  you  have  done, 
and  perhaps  I  shall  be  the  better  able  to  advise 
you." 

"  We  have  done  everything  that  suggested  itself. 
We  traced  the  alleged  Princess  from  the  Hotel 
Bristol  in  Paris  to  Claridge's  in  London.  I  have  a 
very  clever  woman  in  Paris  who  assisted  me,  and 
she  found  where  the  gloves  were  bought  and  where 


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148     JENNIE  BAXTER/JOURNALIST. 

the  dress  was  made.  Did  I  read  you  Lord  Donal's 
description  of  the  lady's  costume  ?  "  * 

"  No,  never  mind  that ;  go  on  with  your  story." 

'*  Well,  ClaridgeV>  provided  carriage,  coachman 
and  footman  to  cake  her  to  the  ball,  and  this 
returned  with  her  sometime  about  midnight.  Now, 
here  a  curious  thing  happened.  The  lady  ordered 
a  hansom  as  she  passed  the  night-porter  and 
shortly  after  packed  off  her  maid  in  the  cab." 

"  Her  maid  !  "  echoed  Jennie. 

"  Yes.  The  maid  came  down  in  ordinary  street 
dress  shortly  after,  deeply  veiled,  and  drove  away 
in  the  hansom  ;  the  lady  paid  her  bill  next  morn- 
ing and  went  to  the  eight  o'clock  Paris  express, 
with  carriage  and  pair,  coachman  and  footman. 
Of  course,  it  struck  me  that  it  might  be  the  lady 
herself  who  had  gone  off  in  the  cab,  but  a  moment's 
reflection  showed  me  that  she  was  not  likely  to 
leave  the  hotel  in  a  cab  at  midnight,  and  allow  her 
maid  to  take  the  carriage  in  state  next  morning." 

"That  doesn't  appear  reasonable,"  murmured 
Jennie.  "You  made  no  attempt,  then,  to  trace  the 
maid?" 

"  Oh  yes,  we  did.  We  found  the  cabman  who 
took  her  from  Claridge's,  and  he  left  her  at  Charing 
Cross  Station,  but  there  all  trace  of  her  vanishes. 


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les. 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  149 

She  probably  left  on  one  of  the  late  trains— there 
are  only  a  few  after  midnight — to  some  place  out  in 
the  countiy.  The  lady  took  a  first-class  ticket  to 
Paris,  and  departed  alone  next  morning  by  the 
eight  o'clock  Continental  express.  My  assistant 
discovered  her  and  took  a  snapshot  of  her  as  she 
wac  walking  down  the  boulevard ;  here  is  the 
picture." 

The  detective  handed  Miss  Baxter  an  instantan- 
eous view  of  one  of  the  boulevards  taken  in  bright 
sunshine.  The  principal  figure  in  the  foreground 
Jennie  had  no  difficulty  in  recognising  as  her  own 
maid,  dressed  in  that  chic  fashion  which  Parisian 
women  affect. 

"  She  seems  to  answer  the  description/*  said 
Jennie. 

"  So  I  thought,"  admitted  the  detective,  "  and  I 
sent  the  portrait  to  Lord  Donal.  See  what  he  has 
written  on  the  back." 

Jennie  turned  the  picture  over,  and  there  under 
the  inscription,  "  H.  Supposed  phot--^  of  the  missing 
woman,"  was  written  in  a  bold  hand,  **  Bosh ! 
Read  my  description  of  the  girl ;  this  is  evidently 
some  Paris  lady's  maid." 

"  Well,  what  did  you  do  when  you  got  this 
picture  back  ?  "  asked  Jennie. 


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150     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  I  remembered  you,  and  went  to  the  office  of 
the  Dai/jf  Bugle.  This  brings  us  to  the  present 
moment.  You  have  now  the  whole  story,  and  I 
shall  be  very  pleased  to  listen  to  any  suggestions 
you  are  good  enough  to  offer." 

The  girl  sat  where  she  was  for  a  few  moments 
and  pondered  over  the  situation.  The  detective, 
resting  his  elbow  on  the  table  and  his  chin  in  his 
hand,  regarded  her  with  eager  anticipation.  The 
more  Jennie  thought  over  the  matter,  the  more  she 
was  amazed  at  the  man  before  her,  who  seemed  un- 
able to  place  two  and  two  together.  He  had 
already  spoken  of  the  account  of  the  ball  which 
had  appeared  in  iht  Dai/y  Bugie ;  of  its  accuracy 
and  its  excellence ;  he  knew  that  she  was  a  member 
of  the  Bugle  staff,  yet  it  had  never  occurred  to  him 
to  enquire  who  wrote  that  description  ;  he  knew 
also  that  she  had  been  a  guest  at  the  Schloss  Stein- 
heimer  when  the  invitation  to  the  ball  must  have 
reached  the  Prmcess.  These  facts  were  so  plainly 
in  evidence  that  the  girl  was  afraid  to  speak  lest 
some  chance  word  would  form  the  connecting  link 
between  the  detective's  mind  and  the  seemingly 
palpable  facts.  At  last  she  looked  up,  the  colour 
coming  and  going  in  her  cheeks,  as  Lord  Donal  had 
so  accurately  described  it. 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  151 

'*  I  don't  think  I  can  be  of  any  assistance  to  you 
in  this  crisis,  Mr.  Taylor.  You  have  already  done 
everything  that  human  ingenuity  can  suggest." 

'*  Yes,  I  have — everything  tliat  viy  human  in. 
genuity  can  suggest.  But  does  nothing  occur  to 
you  ? — have  you  no  theory  to  put  forward  ?  " 

"  None  that  would  be  of  any  piactical  advantage. 
Is  Lord  Donal  certain  that  it  was  not  the  Princess 
herself  whom  he  met?  Are  you  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  there  was  really  an  impersonation  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Miss  Baxter?  " 

"Well,  you  met  Prince  von  Steinheimer;  what 
do  you  think  of  him  ?  " 

"I  thought  him  an  overbearing  bully,  if  you  ask 
me.  I  can't  imagine  what  English  or  American 
girls  see  in  those  foreigners  to  cause  them  to  marry. 
It  is  the  titles,  I  suppose.  The  Prince  was  very 
violent — practically  ordered  me  out  of  the  Castle, 
spoke  to  his  father-in-law  in  the  most  peremptory 
manner,  and  I  could  easily  see  the  Princess  was 
frightened  out  of  her  wits." 

"A  very  accurate  characterisation  of  his  High- 
ness, Mr.  Taylor.  Now,  of  course,  the  Princess 
being  a  woman — and  a  young  woman — would 
naturally  be  very  anxious  to  attend  the  Duchess  of 
Chiselhurst's  ball,  wouldn't  she  ?  " 


152     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  One  would  think  so." 

"And,  as  you  have  just  said,  she  has  a  bear  of  a 
husband,  a  good  deal  older  than  herself,  who  does 
not  in  the  least  care  for  such  functions  as  that  to 
which  the  Princess  was  invited.  Is  it  not  quite 
possible  that  the  Princess  actually  attended  the 
ball,  but,  for  reasons  of  her  own,  desired  to  keep 
the  fact  of  her  presence  there  a  secr^^t ;  and  you  must 
remember  that  Lord  Donal  Stirling;  had  not  seen 
the  Princess  for  five  years." 

"  For  five  years  ?  "  said  the  detective  sharply. 
"  How  did  you  learn  that,  Miss  Baxter?  " 

"  Well,  you  know,"  murmured  the  girl,  with  a 
gasp,  "  he  met  her  last  in  Washington,  and  the  Prin- 
cess has  not  been  in  America  for  five  years ;  so  you 
see—" 

"  Oh,  I  was  not  aware  that  he  had  met  her  in 
America  at  all;  in  fact.  Lord  Donal  said  nothing 
much  about  the  Princess — all  his  talk  had  reference 
to  this  lady  who  impersonated  her." 

Jennie  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  closed  her  eyes 
for  a  moment,  and  breathed  quickly. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  said  at  last,  "  that  I  do  not  re- 
member with  sufficient  minuteness  th?  details  you 
have  given  me,  to  be  able  to  advise.  I  can  only 
suggest  that  Lord  Donal  met  the  Princess  herself 


;  re- 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  f  OK  HERSELF.  153 

at  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball.  The  Princess, 
naturally,  would  wish  to  mislead  him  regarding  her 
identity ;  and  so,  if  he  had  not  met  her  for  some 
time — say  two  years,  or  three  years,  or  five  years,  or 
whatever  the  period  may  be — it  is  quite  possible 
that  the  Princess  has  changed  greatly  in  the  inter- 
val, and  perhaps  she  was  not  reluctant  to  carry  on 
a  flirtation  with  the  young  man — your  client.  Of 
course,  she  could  not  allow  it  to  go  further  than  the 
outside  of  the  door  of  the  Duke  of  Chiselhurst's 
town  house,  for  you  must  remember  there  was  her 
husband  in  the  background — a  violent  man,  as  you 
have  said ;  and  Lord  Donal  must  have  thoroughly 
angered  the  Princess  by  what  you  term  his  rudeness 
in  tearing  off  her  glove  ;  and  now  the  Princess  will 
never  admit  that  she  was  at  the  ball,  so  it  seems  to 
me  that  you  are  wasting  your  time  in  a  wild  goose 
chase.  Why,  it  is  absurd  to  think,  if  there  had  been 
a  real  disappearing  woman,  that  you,  with  all  your 
experience  and  all  your  facilities,  should  not  have 
unearthed  her  long  ago.  You  said  at  the  beginning 
that  nothing  was  more  difficult  than  to  disappear. 
Very  well,  then — why  have  you  been  baffied? 
Simply  because  the  Princess  herself  attended  the 
ball,  and  there  has  been  no  disappearing  lady  at 
all." 


*  >hi 


III  i:'tl 


154     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


m:l 


The  detective,  with  great  vehemence,  brought 
down  his  fist  on  the  table. 

"  By  Jovj^ !  "  he  cried,  "  I  believe  you  are  right.  I 
have  been  completely  blinded,  the  more  so  that  I 
have  the  clue  to  the  mystery  right  here  under  my 
own  eyes." 

He  fumbled  for  a  moment  and  brought  forth  a 
letter  from  his  pile  of  documents. 

"  Here  is  a  note  from  St.  Petersburg,  written  by 
Lord  Donal  himself,  saying  the  Princess  had  sent 
him  the  companion  glove  to  the  one  you  now  have 
in  your  hand.  He  says  he  is  sure  the  Princess 
knows  who  her  impersonator  was,  but  that  she 
won't  tell ;  and  although  I  had  read  this  note,  it 
never  struck  me  that  the  Princess  herself  was  the 
woman.     Miss  Baxter,  you  have  solved  the  puzzle  !  " 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  think  so,"  replied  the  girl, 
rising,  "  and  I  am  very  happy  if  I  have  enabled  you 
to  give  up  a  futile  chase." 

"  It  is  as  plain  as  daylight,"  replied  the  detective. 
"  Lord  Donal's  description  fits  the  Princess  exactly, 
and  yet  I  never  thought  of  her  before." 

Jennie  hurried  away  from  the  detective's  of!ice, 
happy  in  the  belief  that  she  had  not  betrayed 
herself,  although  she  was  not  blind  to  the  fact  that 
her  escape  was  due  more  to  good  luck  than  to  any 


s 
a 


dc 


f 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  155 

presence  oi  miud  of  her  own,  which  had  nearly  de- 
serted her  at  one  or  two  points  in  the  conversation. 
When  Mr.  Hardwick  saw  her,  he  asked  how  much 
space  he  should  have  to  reserve  for  the  romance 
in  high  life ;  but  she  told  him  there  was  nothing  in 
the  case,  s )  far  as  she  could  see,  to  interest  any 
sane  reader. 

Here  matters  rested  for  a  fortnight ;  then  the  girl 
received  an  urgent  note  from  Cadbury  Taylor, 
asking  her  to  call  at  his  office  next  day  promptly 
at  four  o'clock.  It  was  very  important,  he  said, 
and  he  hoped  she  would  on  no  account  disappoint 
him.  Jennie's  first  impulse  was  not  to  go,  but  she 
was  so  anxious  to  learn  what  progress  the  de- 
tective had  made  in  the  case,  fearing  that  at  last  he 
might  have  got  on  the  right  track,  that  she  felt  it 
would  be  unwise  to  take  the  risk  of  not  seeing 
him.  If  his  suspicions  were  really  aroused,  her  ab- 
sence might  possibly  serve  to  confirm  them.  Ex- 
actly at  four  o'clock  next  afternoon  she  entered 
his  office  and  found  him,  to  her  relief,  alone.  He 
sprang  up  from  his  table  on  seeing  her,  and  said  in 
a  whisper,  "  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come.  I  am 
in  rather  a  quandary.  Lord  DonaT  Stirling  is  in 
London  on  a  flying  visit.  He  called  here  yester- 
day." 


t    'm 


.!; 


I 


1 


:ra 


.-•'III 


156     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


im^y^ 


The  girl  caught  her  breath,  but  said  nothing. 

"  I  explp'ned  to  hin,  the  reasons  I  have  for  belie^ 
ing  that  it  ^;\s  .;  tually  none  other  than  the  Prii 
cess  von  Stei!<hef«j!tr  whom  he  met  at  the  Duch<.5s 
of  Chiselhurst  a  ball.  He  laughed  at  me  ;  there  was 
no  convincing  him.  He  said  that  theory  was  more 
absurd  than  the  sending  him  a  picture  of  a  house- 
maid  as  that  of  the  lady  he  met  at  the  ball.  I  used 
all  the  arguments  which  you  had  used,  but  he 
brushed  them  aside  as  of  no  consequence,  and  some- 
how the  case  did  not  appear  to  be  as  clear  as  when 
you  propounded  your  theory." 

"  Well,  what  then  ?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  Why,  then  I  asked  him  to  come  up  here  at  four 
o'clock  and  hear  what  an  assistant  of  mine  would 
say  about  the  case." 

"  At  four  o'clock  !  "  cried  the  girl  in  terror ;  "  then 
he  may  may  be  here  at  any  moment." 

*'  He  is  here  now ;  he  is  in  the  next  room.  Come 
in,  and  I  will  introduce  you,  and  then  I  want  you 
to  tell  him  all  the  circumstances  which  lead  you  to 
believe  that  it  was  the  Princess  herself  whom  he 
met.  I  am  sure  you  can  place  all  the  points  before 
him  so  tersely  that  you  will  succeed  in  bringing 
him  round  to  your  own  way  of  thinking.    You  will 


I  1? 


JENNIE  SEARCHING  FOR  HERSELF.  157 

try,  won't  you,  Miss  Baxter?  It  will  be  a  very 
great  obligement  to  me." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no  !  "  cried  the  girl ;  "  I  am  not  going 
to  admit  to  anyone  that  I  have  been  acting  as  a  de- 
tective's assistant.  You  had  no  right  to  bring  me 
here,  i  must  go  at  once.  If  I  had  known  this  I 
would  not  have  come." 

"  It  won't  take  you  five  minutes,"  pleaded  C?«  ■ 
bury  Taylor.  "  He  is  at  this  moment  waiting  for 
you  ;  I  told  him  you  would  be  here  at  four." 

"  I  ca*:'i.  nelp  that ;  you  had  no  right  to  make  an 
appointment  for  me  without  my  knowledge  and 
consent." 

Taylor  was  about  to  speak  when  the  door-handle 
of  the  inner  room  turned. 

"  I  say,  detective,"  remarked  Lord  Donal,  in  a 
voice  of  some  irritation,  "you  should  have  assist- 
ants who  are  more  punctual.  I  am  a  very  busy 
man,  and  must  leave  for  St.  Petersburg  to-night,  so 
I  can't  spend  all  my  time  in  your  office,  you  know." 

"  I  am  sure  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  lord,"  said  the 
detective, with  great  obsequiousness.  "  This  young 
lady  has  some  objections  to  giving  her  views,  but  I 
am  sure  you  will  be  able  to  persuade  her " 

He  turned,  but  the  place  at  his  side  was  vacant. 
The  door  to  the  hall  was  open,  and  the  girl  had 


i  '    i 


!>'.:A, 


158     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

escaped  as  she  saw  the  handle  of  the  inner  door 
turn.  Taylor  looked  blankly  at  his  client  with 
dropped  jaw.     Lord  Donal  laughed. 

"  Your  assistant  seems  to  have  disappeared  as 
completely  as  did  the  lady  at  the  ball.  Why  not 
set  your  detectives  on  /ler  track  ?  Perhaps  she  will 
prove  to  be  the  person  I  am  in  search  of." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  my  lord,"  stammered  the  de- 
tective. 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  it.  I  am  sure  you  have  done 
all  that  could  be  done  with  the  very  ineffective 
clues  which  unfortunately  are  our  only  possession, 
but  you  are  quite  wrong  in  thinking  it  was  the 
Princess  herself  who  attended  the  ball,  and  I  don't 
blame  your  assistant  for  renising  to  bolster  up  an 
impossible  case.  We  will  consider  the  search  ended, 
and  if  you  will  kindly  let  me  have  your  bill  at  the 
Diplomatic  Club,  before  six  o'clock  to-night,  I  will 
send  you  a  cheque.     Good  afternoon,  Mr.  Taylor." 


If*-!:- 


CHAPTER  XI. 


JENNIE  ELUDES  AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE. 

As  Jennie  rapidly  hurried  away  from  the  office  of 
Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor,  there  arose  in  her  mind  some 
agitation  as  to  what  the  detective  would  think  of 
her  sudden  -flight.  She  was  convinced  that,  up  to 
the  moment  of  leaving  him  so  abruptly,  he  had  not 
the  slightest  suspicion  she  herself,  to  whom  he  was 
then  talking,  was  the  person  he  had  been  searching 
for  up  and  down  Europe.  What  must  he  think  of 
one  who,  while  speaking  with  him,  suddenly,  with- 
out a  word  of  leave-taking,  disappeared  as  if  the 
earth  had  opened  and  swallowed  her,  and  all  be- 
cause the  handle  of  the  door  to  the  inner  room  had 
turned  ?  Then  the  excuse  she  had  given  for  not 
wishing  to  meet  Lord  Donal  must  have  struck  him 
as  ridiculously  inadequate.  When  she  reached  her 
desk  and  reflected  with  more  calmness  over  the  sit- 
uation, she  found  no  cause  to  censure  herself  for  her 
hasty  departure ;  although  she  had  acted  on  im- 
pulse, she  saw  there  had  been  nothing  else  tp  do ; 


I 


■ ;  i 


if 


m ,  '■ 


(■^ 


M  ■; 


i6o     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

another  moment  and  she  would  have  been  face  to 
face  with  Lord  Donal  himself. 

Next  day  brought  a  note  from  the  detective  which 
went  far  to  reassure  her.  He  apologised  for  having 
made  the  appointment  without  her  permission,  and 
explained  that  Lord  Donal's  unexpected  arrival  in 
London,  and  his  stubborn  unbelief  that  it  had  been 
the  Princess  herself  whom  he  met  at  the  ball,  seem- 
ingly left  the  detective  no  alternative  but  to  call  on 
the  person  who  had  so  persistently  advanced  the 
theory,  to  explain  it  to  the  one  most  intimately 
concerned.  It  had  not  occurred  to  him  at  the  time 
to  think  that  Miss  Baxter  might  object  to  meet 
Lord  Donal,  who  was  an  entire  stranger  to  her ; 
but  now  he  saw  that  he  was  wrong,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 
This  note  did  much  to  convince  Jennie  that,  after 
all,  the  detective  had  not  seen  the  clues  which  ap- 
peared to  be  spread  so  plainly  before  his  eyes. 
Cadbury  Taylor,  however,  said  nothing  about  the 
search  being  ended,  and  a  few  days  later  Jennie 
received  a  disquieting  letter  from  the  Princess  von 
Steinheimer. 

"  My  dear  Jennie,"  her  Highness  wrote,  "  I  am 
sure  the  detectives  are  after  you,  and  so  I  thought 
it  best  to  send  you  a  word  of  warning.  Of  course 
it  is  only  surmise  on  my  part,  but  for  days  there 


JENNIE  ELUDES  A  PROPOSAL.       i6i 

has  been  a  woman  hovering  about  the  castle,  trying 
to  get  information  from  my  servants.  My  maid 
came  directly  to  me  and  told  me  what  she  knew. 
The  woman  iotective  had  spoken  to  her.  This  in- 
quisitive person,  who  had  come  from  Paris,  wished 
particularly  to  know  whether  I  had  been  seen  about 
the  castle  during  the  week  in  which  the  Duchess  of 
Chiselhurst's  ball  took  place  ;  and  so  this  leads  me 
to  suppose  that  someone  is  making  enquiries  for 
you.  It  must  be  either  Lord  Donal  Stirling  or  the 
Duke  of  Chiselhurst,  but  I  rather  think  it  is  the 
former.  I  have  written  an  indignant  letter  to  Lord 
Donal,  accusing  him  of  having  caused  detectives  to 
haunt  the  castle.  I  have  not  yet  received  a  reply, 
but  Lord  Donal  is  a  truthful  person,  and  in  a  day 
or  two  I  expect  to  find  out  whether  or  not  he  has  a 
hand  in  this  business.  Meanwhile,  Jennie,  be  on 
your  guard,  and  I  will  write  you  again  as  soon  as  I 
have  something  further  to  tell." 

The  reading  of  this  letter  greatly  increased 
Jennie's  fear'=;,  for  she  felt  assured  that,  stupid  as 
the  men  undoubtedly  were,  they  verged  so  closely 
on  the  brink  of  discovery,  they  were  almost  certain 
to  stumble  upon  the  truth  if  the  investigation  was 
continued.  She  wrote  a  hurried  note  to  the  Prin- 
cess, imploring  her  to  be  cautious,  and  not  inadvert- 


i    'J 

^  4 


mi  (i 

.  'I 


f' 

r  ■ 

1 

I     , 

1' 

'  1 1 

>2    1   ; 

,t|    '   }« 

M 

1 

HI'  ' 


162     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

ently  give  any  clue  that  would  lead  to  her  discov- 
ery. Her  letter  evidently  crossed  one  from  the 
Princess  herself.  Lord  Donal  had  confessed,  said 
the  letter,  and  promised  never,  never  to  do  it  again. 
"  He  says  that  before  my  letter  was  received  he  had 
stopped  the  detectives,  who  were  doing  no  good 
and  apparently  only  annoying  innocent  people. 
He  says  the  search  is  ended,  as  far  as  the  detective 
is  concerned,  and  that  I  need  fear  no  more  intru- 
sions from  enquiry  agents,  male  or  female.  He 
apologised  very  handsomely,  but  says  he  has  not 
given  up  hopes  of  finding  the  lady  who  disappeared. 
And  now,  Jennie,  I  trust  that  you  will  admit  my 
cleverness.  You  see  that  I  had  only  a  word  or  two 
from  my  maid  as  a  clue,  but  I  unravelled  the  whole 
plot  and  at  once  discovered  who  was  the  instigator  of 
it,so  I  think  I  wouldn't  make  a  bad  detective  myself. 
I  am  tremendously  interested  in  episodes  like  this. 
I  believe  if  I  had  known  nothing  of  the  impersona- 
tion, and  if  the  case  had  been  put  in  my  hands,  I 
should  have  discovered  you  long  ago.  Can't  you 
think  of  some  way  in  which  my  undoubted  talent 
for  research  may  be  niade  use  of  ?  You  don't  know 
how  much  I  envy  you  in  your  newspaper  office, 
always  with  an  absorbing  mystery  on  hand  to  solve. 
It  must  be  like  being  the  editor  of  a  puzzle  depart- 


JENNIE  ELUDES  A  PROPOSAL.      163 


ment.  I  wish  you  would  let  me  help  you  next 
time  you  have  anything  important  to  do.  Will  you 
promise? 

"  When  you  write  again,  please  send  your  letter 
to  Vienna,  as  we  are  going  into  residence  there,  my 
husband  having  been  unexpectedly  called  to  the 
capital.  He  holds  an  important  position  in  the 
Government,  as  perhaps  you  remember." 

Jennie  was  delighted  to  know  that  all  enquiry 
had  ceased,  and  she  wrote  a  long  letter  of  gratitude 
to  the  Princess.  She  concluded  her  epistle  by  say- 
ing :  "  It  is  perfectly  absurd  of  you  to  envy  one 
who  has  to  work  as  hard  as  I.  You  are  the  person 
to  be  envied.  It  is  not  all  beer  and  skittles  in  a 
newspaper  office,  which  is  a  good  thing,  for  I  don't 
like  beer,  and  I  don't  know  what  skittles  is  or  are. 
But  I  promise  you  that  the  next  time  I  have  an 
interesting  case  on  hand  I  shall  write  and  give  you 
full  particulars,  and  I  am  sure  that  together  we 
shall  be  invincible." 

But  one  trouble  leaves  merely  to  give  place  to 
another  in  this  life.  Jennie  was  disturbed  to  notice 
that  Mr.  Hardwick  was  becoming  more  and  more 
confidential  with  her.  He  sat  down  by  her  desk 
whenever  there  was  a  reasonable  excuse  for  doing  so, 
and  he  consulted  her  on  matters  important  and  on 


J. , 


164     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

matters  trivial.  An  advance  of  salary  came  to  her, 
and  she  knew  it  was  through  his  influence  with  the 
board  of  directors.  Although  Mr.  Hardwick  was 
sharp  and  decisive  in  business  matters,  he  proved 
an  awkward  man  where  his  affections  were  con- 
cerned, and  he  often  came  and  sat  by  the  girl's 
desk,  evidently  wishing  to  say  something,  and  yet 
quite  as  evidently  having  nothing  to  say ;  and  thus 
the  situation  became  embarrassing.  Jennie  was  a 
practical  girl  and  had  no  desire  to  complicate  the 
situation  by  allowing  her  employer  to  fall  in  love 
with  her,  yet  it  was  impossible  to  go  to  him  and 
ask  that  his  attentions  might  be  limited  strictly  to 
a  business  basis.  The  crisis,  however,  was  brought 
on  by  Mr.  Hardwick  himself.  One  day,  when  they 
were  alone  together,  he  said  abruptly, — 

"  That  romance  in  high  life  which  you  were 
investigating  with  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor  did  not 
come  to  anything?  " 

"  No,  Mr.  Hardwick." 

"  Then  don't  you  think  we  might  enact  a 
romance  in  high  life  in  this  very  room  ;  it  is  high 
enough  from  the  street  to  entitle  to  be  called  a 
romance  in  high  life,"  and  the  editor  grinned 
uneasily,  like  aii  ujueady  man  who  hopes  to  relieve 
a  dilemma  by  a  poor  joke. 


■•>•."» 


JENNIE  ELUDES  A  PROPOSAL.      165 

Jennie,  however,  did  not  laugh  and  did  not  look 
up  at  him,  but  continued  to  scribble  shorthand 
notes  on  the  paper  before  her. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Hardwick  !  "  she  said,  with  a  sigh,  "  I 
see  you  have  discovered  my  secret,  although  I 
had  hoped  to  conceal  it  even  from  your  alert  eyes. 
I  am,  indeed,  in  the  situation  of  Ralph  Rackstraw 
in  '  Pinafore,*  *  I  love,  and  love,  alas !  above  my 
station,'  and  now  that  you  know  half,  you  may  as 
well  know  all.  It  arose  out  of  that  unfortunate 
ball  given  by  the  Duchess  of  Ciiiselhurst,  which  will 
haunt  me  all  the  rest  of  my  life,  I  fear,"  said 
Jennie,  still  without  looking  up. 

Mr.  Hardwick  smothered  an  ejaculation  and  was 
glad  that  the  girl's  eyes  were  not  upon  him.  There 
was  a  pause  of  a  few  moments'  duration  between 
them.  He  took  the  path  which  was  left  open  to 
him,  fondly  flattering  himself  that,  while  he  had 
stumbled  inadvertently  upon  her  romance,  he  had 
kept  his  own  secret  safe. 

"  I — I  have  no  right  to  intrude  on  your  confi- 
dences, Miss  Baxter,"  he  said  finally  with  an  effort, 
"  and  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me  for — for " 

"  Oh  !  I  have  been  sure  for  some  days  you  knew 
it,""  interrupted  the  girl,  looking  up,  but  not  at  him. 


.'         !  :■ 


l66     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

**  I  have  been  neglecting  my  work,  I  fear,  and  so 
you  were  quite  right  in  speaking/' 

"  No,  your  work  is  all  right ;  it  wasn't  that  ex- 
actly— but  never  mind,  we  won't  speak  of  this  any 
more,  for  I  see  it  embarrasses  you." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Hardwick,"  said  Jennie,  again 
bending  her  eyes  on  the  desk  before  her. 

The  man  saw  the  colour  come  and  go  in  her 
cheeks,  and  thought  he  had  never  beheld  anyone 
so  entrancing.  He  rose  quickly,  without  making 
further  attempt  at  explanation,  and  left  the  roojL„ 
One  or  two  tear  drops  stained  the  pape.  on  whicli 
the  girl  was  scribbling.  She  didn't  like  giving  pain 
to  anyone,  but  could  no"  held  herself  to  blame  for 
what  had  happened.  She  li  ,ide  jr)  her  mind  1:o 
leave  the  Daily  BugL  and  seek  d.iployment  else- 
where, but  next  day  Mr.  Hardwick  showed  no  trace 
of  disappointment,  and  spoke  to  her  with  that  curt 
imperiousness  which  had  heretofore  been  his  custom. 

"  Miss  Baxter,"  he  said,  "have  you  been  reading 
the  newspapers  with  any  degree  of  attention  lately?  " 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Hardwick." 

"  Have  you  been  watching  the  drift  of  foreign 
pol'cics?" 

"  Do  you  refer  to  that  speech  by  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter of  Austria  a  week  or  two  ago  ?  " 


Ai 
is 
thi 
Ifl 


JENNIE  ELUDES  A  PROPOSAL.       167 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  have  in  my  mind.  As  you 
know,  then,  it  amounted  almost  to  a  declaration  of 
war  against  England — almost,  but  not  quite.  It 
was  a  case  of  saying  too  much  or  of  not  saying 
enough ;  however,  it  was  not  followed  up,  and  the 
Premier  has  been  as  dumb  as  a  graven  image  ever 
since.  England  has  many  enemies  in  different 
parts  of  the  world,  but  I  must  confess  that  this 
speech  by  the  Austrian  Premier  came  as  a  surprise. 
There  must  have  been  something  hidden,  which  is 
not  visible  from  the  outside.  The  Premier  is  too 
astute  a  man  not  to  know  exactly  what  his  words 
meant,  and  he  was  under  no  delusion  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  England  would  take  them.  It  is 
a  case,  then,  of,  '  When  I  was  so  quickly  done  for, 
I  wonder  what  I  was  begun  for' — that  is  what  all 
Europe  is  asking." 

"  Is  it  not  generally  supposed,  Mr.  Hardwick, 
that  his  object  was  to  consolidate  Austria  and 
Hungary  ?  I  understood  that  local  politics  were 
at  the  bottom  of  his  fiery  speech." 

"  Quite  so,  but  the  rousing  of  the  war  spirit  ; 
Austria  and  Hungary  was  useless  unless  that  spirit 
is  given  something  to  do.  It  needs  a  war,  not  a 
threat  of  war,  to  consolidate  Austria  and  Hungary. 
If  the  speech  had  been  followed  up  by  hostile  action, 


r 


ill 


n  i 


a 


V 
h,  > 

I' I 


i'  I      J  a 


i68     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

or  by  another  outburst  that  would  make  war 
inevitable,  I  could  understand  it.  The  tone  of  the 
speech  indicates  that  the  Prime  Minister  meant 
business  at  the  time  he  gave  utterance  to  it. 
Something  has  occurred  meanwhile  to  change  the 
situation,  and  what  that  something  is,  all  the  news- 
papers in  Europe  have  been  trying  to  find  out. 
We  have  had  our  regular  Vienna  representative  at 
work  ever  since  the  words  were  uttered,  and  for  the 
past  two  weeks  he  has  been  assisted  by  orje  of  the 
cleverest  men  I  could  send  him  from  London ;  but 
up  to  date,  both  have  failed.  Now  I  propose  that 
you  go  quietly  to  Vienna;  i  hall  not  let  either  of 
the  men  know  you  are  investigating  the  affair  at 
which  they  have  laboured  with  such  little  success  ; 
for  both  are  good  men,  and  I  do  not  want  to  dis- 
courage cither  of  them ;  still,  above  all  things,  I 
wish  to  have  the  solution  of  this  mystery.  So  it 
occurred  to  me  last  night  that  you  might  succeed 
where  others  had  failed.     What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  willing  to  try,"  said  Miss  Baxter,  as  there 
flashed   across   her  mind  an  idea  that  here  was  a  . 
case  in  which  the  Princess  von  Steinheimer  could 
be  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  her. 

"  It  has  been  thought,"  went  on  the  editor,  "  that 
the  Emperor  is  extremely^acivefse~fgMiaviiig- trdulik 


c 

V 


JENNIE  ELUDES  A  PROPOSAL.       169 

with  England  or  any  other  country.  Still,  if  that 
were  the  case,  a  new  Cabinet  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  formed  after  this  intemperate  address  of 
the  Premier*,  but  this  man  still  holds  his  office,  and 
there  has  been  neither  explanation  nor  apology 
from  Court  or  Cabinet.  I  am  convinced  that  there 
is  something  behind  all  this,  a  wheel  within  a  wheel 
of  some  sort,  because,  the  day  after  the  speech, 
there  came  a  rumour  from  Vienna  that  an  attempt 
had  been  made  on  the  life  of  the  Emperor  or  of 
the  Premier ;  it  was  exceedingly  vague,  but  it  was 
alleged  that  a  iynamite  explosion  had  t,!  -n  place 
in  the  palace.  This  was  promptly  contradicted, 
but  we  all  know  what  official  contradictions  amount 
to.  There  is  internal  trouble  of  some  kind  at  the 
Court  of  Vienna,  and  if  we  could  publish  the  full 
details,  such  an  article  would  give  us  a  European 
reputation.  When  could  you  be  ready  to  begin 
your  journey,  Miss  Baxter  ?  " 

"  I  am  ready  now." 

"  Well,  in  an  affair  like  this  it  is  best  to  lose  no 
time;  you  can  go  to-morrow  morning,  then?" 

**  Oh,  certainly,  but  I  must  leave  the  office  at 
once,  and  you  should  get  someone  to  finish  the 
work  I  am  on." 


--      '*  I  will  attend  to  that,"  said  the  editor. 


!( 

.1 

If; 

1 

1; 

, 

l>  . 

170     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Thus  relieved,  Jennie  betook  herself  to  a  tele- 
graph office.  She  knew  that  if  she  wrote  a  letter 
to  the  Princess,  who  was  now  in  Vienna,  she  would 
probably  herself  reach  that  city  as  soon  as  her 
note,  so  she  telegraphed  that  something  important 
was  on  hand  which  would  take  her  to  Vienna  by 
next  day's  Orient  express,  and  intimated  that  it 
was  a  matter  in  Vvhich  she  might  need  the  assistance 
of  the  Princess.  Then  she  hastened  to  her  rooms 
to  pack  up.  That  evening  there  came  an  answer- 
ing telegram  from  Vienna.  The  Princess  asked 
her  to  bring  her  ball  dress  and  all  the  rest  of  her 
finery.  The  lady  added  that  she  herself  would  be 
at  the  railway  station,  and  asked  Jennie  to  tele- 
p,raph  to  her,  en  route,  the  time  of  her  arrival.  It 
was  evident  that  her  Highness  was  quite  prepared 
to  engage  in  whatever  scheme  there  was  on  hand, 
and  this  fact  encouraged  Jennie  to  hope  that  suc- 
cess perhaps  awaited  her. 


wA 


I 


CHAPTER  XII. 


I 


JENNIE    TOUCHES   THE    EDGE   OF  A    GOVERNMENT 

SECRET. 

True  to  her  promise,  the  Princess  von  Stein- 
heimer  was  waiting  at  the  immense  railway  station  of 
Vienna,  and  she  received  her  friend  with  gushing 
effusion.  Jennie  left  the  train  as  neat  as  when  she 
had  entered  it,  for  many  women  have  the  faculty  of 
taking  long  journeys  without  showing  the  di- 
shevelled effect  which  protracted  railway  travelling 
seems  to  have  upon  the  masculine,  and  probably 
more  careless,  portion  of  humanity. 

"Oh,  you  dear  girl!"  cried  the  Princess;  "you 
cannot  tell  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you.  I  was  just 
yearning  for  some  one  to  talk  English  to.  I  am  so 
tired  of  French  and  German,  although  they  flatter 
me  by  saying  that  I  speak  those  two  languages  ex- 
tremely well;  yet  English  is  my  own  tongue,  and  it 
is  so  delightful  to  talk  with  one  who  can  understand 
every  blessed  word  you  say,  which  you  can  easily 
see  those  who  pretend  to  speak  English  in  Vienna 


1 

i' 

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'i 

i 

M'Hi 


J 


liM- 


i   .  'I., 


172     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

do  not.  What  long  chats  we  shall  have  !  And  now 
come  this  way  to  the  carriage.  There  is  a  man  here 
to  look  after  your  luggage.  You  are  coming  right 
home  with  me  and  are  going  to  stay  with  me  as  long 
as  you  are  in  Vienna.  Don't  say,  *  No,'  nor  make 
any  excuse,  nor  talk  of  going  to  a  hotel,  for  a  suite 
of  rooms  is  all  ready  for  you,  and  your  luggage  will 
be  there  before  we  are.  Now  let  us  enter  the  carriage, 
for  I  am  just  pining  to  hear  what  it  is  you  have  on 
hand.     Some  delicious  scandal,  I  hope." 

"  No,"  answered  Jennie  ;  "  it  pertains  to  Govern- 
ment matters." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  cried  the  Princess ;  "  how  tiresome  ! 
Politics  are  so  dull." 

"  I  don't  think  this  case  is  dull,"  said  Jennie  ; 
"because  it  has  brought  Austria  and  England  to 
the  verge  of  war." 

"  What  a  dreadful  idea  !  I  hadn't  heard  anything 
of  it.     When  did  this  happen?" 

"  Less  than  a  month  ago,"  and  Jennie  related  the 
whole  circumstance,  giving  a  synopsis  of  the 
Premier's  speech. 

"  But  I  see  nothing  in  that  speech  to  cause  war," 
protested  the  Princess.  **  It  is  as  mild  as  new 
milk."  __ 

"  I    don't    pretend   to    understand    diplomacy," 


A  GOVERNMENT  SECRET. 


J73 


continued  Miss  Baxter,  blushing  slightly,  as  she  re- 
membered Lord  Donal ;  and  it  seemed  that  the 
same  thought  struck  the  Princess  at  the  same 
moment,  for  she  looked  quizzically  at  Jennie  and 
burst  out  into  a  laugh. 

"  You  may  laugh,"  cried  the  girl ;  "  but  I  tell  you 
that  this  is  a  serious  business.  They  say  it  only 
needed  a  second  '  new  milk  *  speech  from  the  Premier 
to  have  England  answer  most  politely  in  words  of 
honey,  and  next  instant  the  two  countries  would 
have  been  at  each  other's  throats." 

"  Suppose  we  write  to  Lord  Donal  in  St.  Peters- 
burg," suggested  the  Princess,  still  laughing,  "and 
ask  him  to  come  to  Vienna  and  help  us?  He  un- 
derstands all  about  diplomacy.  By  the  way,  Jennie, 
did  Lord  Donal  ever  find  out  whom  he  met  at  the 
ball  that  night?" 

"  No,  he  didn't,"  answered  Miss  Baxter,  shortly. 

"  Don't  you  ever  intend  to  let  him  know?  Are 
you  going  to  leave  the  romance  unfinished,  like  one 
of  Henry  James's  novels?" 

"  It  isn't  a  romance  ;  it  is  simply  a  very  distress- 
ing incident  which  I  have  been  trying  to  forget  ever 
since.     It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  laugh,  but  if 
you  ever  mention  the,  subject  agcain  I'll  leayc._yoii_ 
and  go  to  an  hotel." 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTBt.N.Y.  14580 

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i 


174     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Oh,  no,  you  won't,"  chirruped  the  Princess, 
brightly  ;  "  you  daren't.  You  know  I  hold  all  the 
trump  cards;  at  any  time  I  can  send  a  letter  to 
Lord  Donal  and  set  the  poor  young  man's  mind  at 
rest.  So  you  see,  Miss  Jennie,  you  will  have  to 
talk  very  sweetly  and  politely  to  me  and  not  make 
any  threats,  because  I  am  like  those  dreadful  per- 
sons in  the  sensational  plays  who  possess  the 
guilty  secrets  of  other  people  and  blackmail  them. 
But  you  are  a  nice  girl,  and  I  won't  say  anything 
you  don't  want  to  hear  said.  Now,  what  is  it  you 
wish  to  find  out  about  this  political  crisis  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  discover  why  the  Premier  did  not 
follow  up  his  speech  with  another.  He  must  have 
known  when  he  spoke  how  his  words  should  be 
taken  in  England ;  therefore  it  is  thought  that  he 
had  some  plans  which  unforeseen  circumstances 
intervening  have  nullified.  I  want  to  know  what 
those  unforeseen  circumstances  were,  and  what 
those  plans  were.  For  the  past  fortnight  the  Daily 
Bugle  has  had  two  men  here  in  Vienna  trying  to 
throw  some  light  on  the  dark  recesses  of  diplomacy. 
Up  to  date  they  have  failed,  but  at  any  moment 
they  may  succeed  ;  it  was  because  they  failed  that 
I  am  sent  here.  Now,  have  you  anything  to 
suggest,  Madame  la  Princesse  ?  " 


^- 


:i:  I 


A  GOVERNMENT  SECRET. 


175 


"  I  suggest,  Jennie,  that  we  put  our  heads  to- 
gether and  learn  all  that  those  diplomatists  wish  to 
hide.    Have  you  no  plans  yourself  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  very  definite  plan,  but  I  have  a  general 
scheme.  These  men  I  spoke  of  are  trying  to  discover 
what  other  men  are  endeavouring  to  conceal.  All  the 
ofHcials  are  on  their  guard  ;  they  are  highly  placed, 
and  are  not  likely  to  oe  got  at  by  bribery.  They 
are  clever,  alert  men  of  the  world,  so  hoodwinking 
them  is  out  of  the  question ;  therefore,  I  think  my 
two  fellow  journalists  have  a  difficult  task  before 
them." 

"  But  it  is  the  same  task  that  you  have  before 
you :  why  is  it  not  as  difficult  for  you,  Jennie,  as  for 
them?" 

"  Because  I  propose  to  work  with  people  who  are 
not  on  their  guard,  and  there  is  where  you  can  help 
me,  if  you  are  not  shocked  at  my  proposal.  Each 
official  has  a  wife,  or  at  least  most  of  them  have. 
Some  of  these  wives,  in  all  probability,  possess  the 
information  that  we  would  like  to  get.  Women 
will  talk  more  freely  with  women  than  men  will  with 
men.  Now,  I  propose  to  'eave  the  officials  severely 
alone  and  interview  their  wives." 

The  Princess  clapped  her  hands. 

"  Excellent ! "    she    cried.     "  The    women     of 


'"    r 


•Hi 


\>\ 


I    •! 


i 


^^ti 


.' :  J 


i;6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


Vienna  are  the  greatest  gossips  you  ever  heard 
^chattering  together.  I  have  never  taken  any  inter- 
est in  politics,  otherwise  I  suppose  I  might  have  be- 
come possessed  of  some  important  Government 
secrets.  Now,  Jennie,  I'll  tell  you  what  I  propose 
doing.  I  shall  give  a  formal  tea  next  Thursday 
afternoon.  I  shall  invite  to  that  tea  a  dozen,  or 
two  dozen,  or  three  dozen  wives  of  influential 
officials  about  the  Court.  My  husband  will  like 
that,  because  he  is  always  complaining  that  I  do  not 
pay  enough  attention  to  the  ladies  of  the  political 
circles  of  Vienna.  He  takes  a  great  interest  in 
politics,  you  know.  If  we  discover  nothing  at  the  first 
tea-meeting,  we  will  have  another,  and  another,  and 
another  until  we  do.  We  are  sure  to  invite  the  right 
woman  on  one  of  those  occasions,  and  when  we  find 
her  I'll  warrant  the  secret  will  soon  belong  to  us. 
Ah,  here  we  are  at  home,  and  we  will  postpone  the 
discussion  of  our  delightful  conspiracy  until  you 
have  had  something  to  eat  and  are  rested  a  bit. 

The  carriage  drew  up  at  the  magnificent  palace, 
well  known  in  Vienna,  which  belongs  to  the 
Prince  von  Steinheimer;  and  shortly  afterwards 
Jennie  Baxter  found  herself  in  possession  of  the 
finest  suite  of  rooms  she  had  ever  beheld  in  her  life. 


ID., 


A  GOVERNMENT  SECRET. 


177 


Jennie  laughed  as  she  looked  round  her  apartment 
and  noted  its  luxuriant  appointments. 

"  These  are  not  exactly  what  we  should  call  dig- 
gings, in  London,  are  they?"  she  said  to  the  Prin- 
cess, who  stood  by  her  side  delighted  at  the  pleas- 
ure of  her  friend.  "  We  often  read  of  poor  penny- 
a-liners  in  their  garrets ;  but  I  don't  think  any 
penny-a-liner  ever  had  such  a  garret  as  this  placed 
at  his  disposal." 

"  I  knew  you  would  like  the  rooms,"  cried  the 
Princess  gayly.  "  I  like  them  myself,  and  I  hope 
they  will  help  to  induce  you  to  stay  in  Vienna  as 
long  as  you  can.  I  have  given  you  my  own  maid, 
Gretlich,  and  I  assure  you  it  isn't  every  friend  I 
would  lend  her  to  ;  she  is  a  model  servant." 

"  Oh,  but  you  mustn't  do  that,"  said  Jennie.  "  I 
cannot  rob  you  of  your  maid  and  also  be  selfish 
enough  to  monopolise  these  rooms." 

"  You  are  not  robbing  me ;  in  fact,  I  am,  perhaps, 
a  little  artful  in  giving  you  Gretlich,  for  she  is 
down  in  the  dumps  this  last  week  or  two,  and  I 
don't  know  what  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  her. 
I  suspect  it  is  some  love  affair;  but  she  will  say 
nothing,  although  I  have  asked  her  time  and 
again  what  is  the  trouble.  Now  you  are  such  a 
cheery,  consoling  young  woman,  that  I  thought  if 


f; 


-M' 


m 


I '}-. 


178     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Gretlich  were  in  your  service  for  a  time  she  might 
brighten  up  and  be  her  own  self  again.  So,  you 
see,  instead  of  robbing  me,  I  am  really  taking 
advantage  of  your  good  nature." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  just  saying  that  to  make  it 
easier  for  me  to  be  selfish  ;  still  you  are  so  generous. 
Princess,  that  I  am  not  going  to  object  to  anything 
you  do,  but  just  give  myself  up  to  luxury  while  I 
stay  in  Vienna." 

"  That  is  right.  Ah,  here  is  Gretlich.  Now,  Gret- 
lich, I  want  you  to  help  make  Miss  Baxter's  stay  here 
so  pleasant  that  she  will  never  want  to  leave  us." 

"  I  shall  do  my  best,  your  Highness,"  said  the 
girl,  with  quiet  deference. 

The  Princess  left  the  two  alone  together,  and 
Jennie  saw  that  Gretlich  was  not  the  least  orna- 
mental appendage  to  the  handsome  suite  of  rooms. 
Gretlich  was  an  excellent  example  of  that  type  of 
fair  women  for  which  Vienna  is  noted  ;  but  she 
was,  as  the  Princess  had  said,  extremely  downcast, 
and  Jennie,  who  had  a  deep  sympathy  for  all  who 
worked,  spoke  kindly  to  the  girl  and  endeavoured  to 
cheer  her.  There  was  something  of  unaccustomed 
tenderness  in  the  compassionate  tones  of  Jennie's 
voice  that  touched  the  girl,  for,  after  a  brief  and 
ineffectual  effort  at  self-control,  she   broke    down 


'^j 


( 


A  GOVERNMENT  SECRET. 


179 


and  wept.  To  her  pitying  listener  she  told  her 
story.  She  had  been  betrothed  to  a  soldier  whose 
regiment  was  stationed  in  the  Burg.  When  last 
the  girl  saw  her  lover  he  was  to  be  that  night  on 
guard  in  the  Treasury.  Before  morning,  a  catas- 
trophe of  some  kind  occurred.  The  girl  did  not 
know  quite  what  had  happened.  Some  said  there 
had  been  a  dreadful  explosion  and  her  lover  had 
lost  his  life.  Neither  the  soldier's  relatives  nor  his 
betrothed  were  allowed  to  see  him  after  the  dis- 
aster. He  had  been  buried  secretly,  and  it  ap- 
peared to  be  the  intention  of  the  authorities  to 
avoid  all  publicity.  The  relatives  and  the  be- 
trothed of  the  dead  soldier  had  been  warned  to 
keep  silence  and  seek  no  further  information.  It 
was  not  till  several  days  after  her  lover's  death  that 
Gretlich,  anxious  because  he  did  not  keep  his  ap- 
pointment with  her,  and  not  hearing  from  him,  fear- 
ing that  he  was  ill,  began  to  make  enquiries ;  then 
she  received  together  the  information  and  the 
caution. 

In  the  presence  of  death  all  consolers  are  futile, 
and  Jennie  realised  this  as  she  endeavoured  as  well 
as  she  could  to  comfort  the  girl.  Her  heart  was  so 
much  enlisted  in  this  that  perhaps  her  intellect  was 
the  less  active ;  but  here  she  stood  on  the  very  thres» 


1'  K 


it        ii> 


I 


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1 

'.  ft 

'  -'-ii '  1 

'M 

i8o     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

hold  of  the  secret  she  had  come  to  Vienna  to 
discover,  and  yet  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion 
that  the  girl's  tragedy  and  her  own  mission  were  in- 
terwoven. Jennie  had  wondered  at  the  stupidity 
of  Cadbury  Taylor,  who  failed  to  see  what  seemed 
so  plainly  before  him,  yet  here  was  Jennie  her- 
self come  a  thousand  miles,  more  or  less,  to  obtain 
certain  information,  and  here  a  sobbing  girl  was 
narrating  the  very  item  of  news  that  she  had  come 
so  far  to  le.irn — all  of  which  would  seem  to  show 
that  none  of  us  are  so  bright  and  clever  as  we  im- 
agine ourselves  to  be. 

In  the  afternoon  the  Princess  entered  Jennie's 
sitting-room  carrying  in  her  hand  a  bunch  of  letters. 

"  There  !  "  she  cried,  "  while  you  have  been  resting 
I  have  been  working,  and  we  are  not  going  to  allow 
any  time  to  be  lost.  I  have  written  with  my  own 
hand  invitations  to  about  two  dozen  people  to  our 
tea  on  Thursday;  among  others,  the  wife  of  the 
Premier,  Countess  Stron.  I  expect  you  to  devote 
yourself  to  that  lady  and  tell  me  the  result  of  the 
conversation  after  it  is  over.  Have  you  been  talking 
consolation  to  Gretlich?  I  came  up  here  half  an 
hour  ago,  and  it  seemed  to  me  I  heard  the  sound  of 
crying  in  this  room." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Jennie,  "she  has  been  telling  me 


A  GOVERNMENT  SECRET. 


i8i 


all  her  trouble.  It  seems  she  had  a  lover  in  the 
army,  and  he  has  been  killed  in  some  accident  in 
the  Treasury." 

"  What  kind  of  an  accident  ?  " 

"Gretlich  said  there  had  been  an  explosion 
there." 

"  Dear  me !  I  never  heard  of  it.  It  is  a  curious 
thing  that  one  must  come  from  London  to  tell  us 
our  own  news.  An  explosion  in  the  Treasury !  and 
so  serious  that  a  soldier  was  killed !  That  arouses 
my  curiosity,  so  I  shall  just  sit  down  and  write  an- 
other invitation  to  the  wife  of  the  Master  of  the 
Treasury."  " 

"  I  wish  you  would,  because  I  should  like  to 
know  something  further  about  this  myself.  Gret- 
lich seems  to  have  had  but  scant  information 
regarding  the  occurrence,  and  I  should  like  to  know 
more  about  it  so  that  I  might  tell  her." 

"  We  shall  learn  all  about  it  from  madame,  and  I 
must  write  that  note  at  once  for  fear  I  forget  it." 


r'l 


^ 1^ 


*<ii 


*£:;•■' ,i 


J   1 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

JENNIE  INDULGES  IN   TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


^   ■ 

i  I 


'I  •!' 


On  Thursday  afternoon  there  was  a  brilliant  as- 
semblage in  the  spacious  salon  of  the  Princess  von 
Steinheimer.  The  rich  attire  of  the  ladies  formed  a 
series  of  kinetcgraphic  pictures  that  were  dazzling, 
for  Viennese  women  are  adepts  in  the  art  of  dress, 
as  are  their  Parisian  sisters.  Tea  was  served,  not  in 
cups  and  saucers,  as  Jennie  had  been  accustomed  to 
seeing  it  handed  round,  but  in  goblets  of  clear,  thin 
Venetian  glass,  each  set  in  a  holder  of  encrusted 
filigree  gold.  There  were  all  manner  of  delicious 
cakes,  for  which  the  city  is  celebrated.  The  tea  it- 
self had  come  overland  through  Russia  from  China 
and  had  not  suffered  the  deterioration  which  an  ocean 
voyage  produces.  The  decoction  was  served  clear, 
with  sugar  if  desired,  and  a  slice  of  lemon,  and  Jen- 
nie thought  it  the  most  delicious  brew  she  had  ever 
tasted. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  whispered  the  Princess  to  Jennie 
when  an  opportunity  occurred,  *'  but  the  Countess 


Mi 


;l  I 


)SIP. 

rilliant  as- 
ncess  von 
)  formed  a 

dazzling, 
:  of  dress, 
/ed,  not  in 
istomed  to 
clear,  thin 

encrusted 
'  delicious 

he  tea  it- 
em China 

1  an  ocean 
ved  clear, 
,  and  Jen- 

2  had  ever 

to  Jennie 
Countess 


,  ^} 


m 


\\\ 


"there   was  a    ItRII.I.IVNT   ASSIC  M  HI.A(iE    IN    THE    Sl'ACIOUS    SALON   Ol-THE 
I'RINCESS  VON   STEINHEIMER."— /'(I^C   /Ss. 


TEA  AND  GOSSir. 


183 


Stron  has  sent  a  messenger  to  say  that  she  cannot 
be  present  this  afternoon.  It  seems  her  husband, 
the  Premier,  is  ill,  and  she,  like  a  good  wife,  remains 
at  home  to  nurse  him.  This  rather  upsets  our 
plans,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  replied  Jennie.  "  It  is 
more  than  likely  that  the  wife  of  the  Premier  would 
be  exceedingly  careful  not  to  discuss  any  political 
question  in  this  company.  I  have  counted  more 
upon  the  wife  of  a  lesser  ofHcial  than  upon  the 
Countess  Stron." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  Princess.  "And  now 
come  with  me.  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  the 
wife  of  the  Master  of  the  Treasury,  and  from  her, 
perhaps,  you  can  learn  something  of  the  accident 
that  befell  the  lover  of  poor  Gretlich." 

The  wife  of  the  Master  of  the  Treasury  proved  to 
be  a  garrulous  old  lady  who  evidently  prided  her- 
self on  knowing  everything  that  was  taking  place 
about  her.  Jennie  and  she  became  quite  confiden- 
tial over  their  goblets  of  tea,  a  beverage  of  which 
the  old  lady  seemed  in^^rdinately  fond.  As  the  con- 
versation between  them  drifted  on,  Jennie  saw  that 
here  was  a  person  who  would  take  a  delight  in 
telling  everything  she  knew,  and  the  only  question 
which  now  arose  was  whether  she  knew  anything 


i 


■m 


/ 


i84     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Jennie  wished  to  learn.  But  before  she  tried  her 
on  high  politics  the  girl  determined  to  find  out 
more  about  the  disaster  that  had  made  such  an 
abrupt  ending  to  Gretlich's  young  dream. 

"  I  have  been  very  much  interested,"  she  said, 
"  in  one  of  the  maids  here  who  lost  her  lover  some 
weeks  ago  in  an  accident  that  occurred  in  the  Trea- 
sury. The  maid  doesn't  seem  to  know  very  much 
about  what  happened,  and  was  merely  told  that  her 
lover,  a  soldier  who  had  been  on  guard  there  that 
night,  was  dead." 

"  Oh,  dear,  yes !  "  whispered  the  old  lady,  lower- 
ing her  voice,  "  what  a  dreadful  thing  that  was ! 
four  men  killed  and  eight  or  nine  now  in  the  hos- 
pital. My  poor  husband  has  had  hardly  a  wink  of 
sleep  since  the  event,  and  the  Premier  is  ill  in  bed 
through  the  worry." 

"  Because  of  the  loss  of  life  ?  "  asked  Jennie,  inno- 
cently. 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  the  loss  of  life  wouldn't  matter  ;  it 
is  the  loss  of  the  money  that  is  the  serious  thing, 
and  how  they  are  going  to  replace  it  or  account  for 
its  disappearance  I  am  sure  I  don't  know.  The  de- 
ficiency is  something  over  two  hundred  million 
florins.    Was  it  not  awful  ?  " 

"  Was  the  building  shattered  to  such  an  extent  ?  " 


•  '< 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


i8jj 


enquired  Jennie,  who  did  not  stop  to  think  that 
such  a  sum  would  replace  any  edifice  in  Vienna, 
even  if  it  had  been  wiped  off  the  face  of  the  earth." 

"  The  Treasury  was  damaged,  of  course,  but  the 
cost  of  repairs  will  not  be  great.  No,  my  child,  it 
is  a  much  more  disturbing  affair  than  the  destruc-. 
tion  of  any  state  house  in  the  Empire.  What  has 
made  the  Premier  ill,  and  what  is  worrying  my  poor 
husband  into  an  untimely  grave,  is  nothing  less 
than  the  loss  of  the  war  chest." 

"  The  war  chest ! "  echoed  Jennie,  "  what  is 
that?" 

"  My  dear,  every  great  nation  has  a  war  chest. 
England  has  one,  so  has  France,  Germany,  Russia — ■ 
no  matter  how  poor  a  nation  may  be,  or  how  diffi- 
cult it  is  to  collect  the  taxes,  that  nation  must  have 
a  war  chest.  If  war  were  to  break  out  suddenly, 
even  with  the  most  prosperous  country  there  would 
be  instant  financial  panic ;  ready  money  would  be 
difficult  to  obtain ;  a  loan  would  be  practically  im- 
possible  ;  and  what  war  calls  for  the  very  instant  it 
is  declared  is  money — not  promises  of  money,  not 
paper  money,  not  silver  money  even,  but  gold; 
therefore,  eveiy  nation  which  is  in  danger  of  war 
has  a  store  of  gold  coin.  This  store  is  not 
composed   mainly,  or  even  largely,   of   the   coins 


■1. 


^m 


t 


i86     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

/  of  the  nation  whicii  owns  the  store ;  it  con- 
sists of  the  sovereigns  of  England,  the  louis  of 
France,  the  Willems  d'or  of  Holland,  the  eight- 
florin  pieces  of  Austria,  the  double-crown  of 
Germany,  the  half-imperials  of  Russia,  the  double- 
Frederics  of  Denmark,  and  so  on.  All  gold,  gold, 
gold !  I  believe  that  in  the  war  chest  of  Austria, 
there  were  deposited  coins  of  different  nations  to  ; 
the  value  of  something  like  two  hundred  million 
florins.  My  husband  never  told  me  exactly  how 
much  was  there,  but  sometimes  when  things  looked 
peaceable  there  was  less  money  in  the  war  chest 
than  when  there  was  imminent  danger  of  the 
European  outbreak  which  we  all  fear.  The  war 
chest  of  Austria  was  in  a  stone-vaulted  room,  one  of 
the  strongest  dungeons  in  the  Treasury.  The 
public  are  admitted  into  several  rooms  of  the  Treas- 
ury, but  no  stranger  is  ever  allowed  into  that  por- 
tion of  the  building  which  houses  the  war  chest. 
This  room  is  kept  under  guard  night  and  day. 
,  For  what  happened,  my  husband  feels  that  he  is  in 
no  way  to  blame,  and  I  don't  think  his  superiors 
are  inclined  to  charge  him  with  neglect  of  duty.  It 
is  a  singular  thing  that  the  day  before  the  disaster 
took  place  he  of  his  own  accord  doubled  the  guard 
that  watched  over  the  room  and  also  the  approaches 


■/ 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


187 


to  it.  The  war  chest  was  at  its  fullest.  Never,  so 
he  tells  me,  was  there  so  much  money  in  the  war 
chest  as  at  that  particular  time.  Something  had 
occurred  that  in  his  opinion  called  for  extra  watch- 
fulness, and  so  he  doubled  the  guard.  But  about 
midnight  there  was  a  tremendous  explosion.  The 
strong  door  communicating  with  the  passage  was 
wrenched  from  its  hinges  and  flung  outward  into 
the  hallway.  It  is  said  that  dynamite  must  have 
been  used,  and  that  in  a  very  large  quantity.  Not 
a  vestige  of  the  chest  remained  but  a  few  splintered 
pieces  of  iron.  The  four  soldiers  in  the  room  were 
blown  literally  to  pieces,  and  those  in  the  passage- 
way were  stunned  by  the  shock.  The  fact  that  they 
were  unconscious  for  some  minutes  seems  to  have 
given  the  criminal,  whoever  he  was,  his  chance  of 
escape.  For,  although  an  instant  alarm  was  sent 
out,  and  none  but  those  who  had  a  right  to  be  on  the 
premises  were  allowed  out  of  or  in  the  Treas- 
ury, yet  no  one  was  caught,  nor  has  anyone  been 
caught  up  to  this  day." 

"  But  the  gold,  the  gold  ?  "  cried  Jennie,  eagerly. 

"There  was  not  a  florin  of  it  left.  Every  piece 
has  disappeared.  It  is  at  once  the  most  clever  and 
the  most  gigantic  robbery  of  money  that  has  taken 
place  within  our  knowledge." 


i     I 


t;   i 
I 


188     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

*'  But  such  a  quantity  of  gold,"  said  Jennie, 
"must  have  been  of  enormous  weight.  Two  hun- 
dred million  florins !  Why,  that  is  twenty  million 
pounds  isn't  it  ?  It  would  take  a  regiment  of  thieves 
to  carry  so  much  away.  How  has  that  been  done  ? 
And  where  is  the  gold  concealed  ?  " 

*'  Ah,  my  child,  if  you  can  answer  your  own  ques- 
tions the  Austrian  Government  will  pay  you  almost 
any  sum  you  like  to  name.  The  police  are  com^ 
pletely  baflfled.  Of  course,  nothing  has  been  said 
of  this  gigantic  robbery  ;  but  every  exit  from  Vienna 
is  watched,  and  not  only  that,  but  each  frontier  is 
guarded.  What  the  Government  wants,  of  course, 
is  to  get  back  its  gold,  the  result  of  years  of  taxa- 
tion, which  cannot  very  easily  be  re-levied." 

"  And  when  did  this  robbery  take  place  ?  "  asked 
Jennie. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  17th." 

"On  the  night  of  tlie  17th,"  repeated  the  girl, 
more  to  herself  than  to  the  voluble  old  woman ; 
"  and  it  was  on  the  i6th  that  the  Premier  made  his 
war  speech."  >.  V 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  old  lady,  who  overheard  the 
remark  not  intended  for  her  ears  ;  "  and  don't  you 
think  there  was  something  striking  in  the  coin- 
cidence?" 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


189 


"  I  don't  quite  understand.    What  coincidence  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  know  the  speech  of  the  Premier  was 
against  England.  It  was  not  a  speech  made  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment,  but  was  doubtless  the  result  of 
many  consultations,  perhaps  with  Russia,  perhaps 
with  Germany,  or  with  France — who  knows  ?  We 
have  been  growing  very  friendly  with  Russia  of  late ; 
and  as  England  has  spies  all  over  the  world,  doubt- 
less her  Government  knew,  before  the  speech  was 
made,  that  it  was  coming ;  so  the  police  appear  to 
think  that  the  whole  resources  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment were  set  at  the  task  of  crippling  Austria  at  a 
critical  moment." 

"  Surely  you  don't  mean,  madame,  that  the  Gov- 
ernment of  England  would  descend  to  burglary, 
robbery, — yes,  and  murder,  even,  for  the  poor  sol- 
diers who  guarded  the  treasure  were  as  effectually 
murdered  as  if  they  had  been  assassinated  in  the 
street  ?  You  don't  imagine  that  the  British  Govern- 
ment would  stoop  to  such  deeds  as  these?  " 

The  old  lady  shook  her  head  wisely. 

"  By  the  time  you  are  my  age,  my  dear,  and  have 
seen  as  much  of  politics  as  I  have,  you  will  know 
that  Governments  stop  at  nothing  to  accomplish 
their  ends.  No  private  association  of  thieves  could 
have  laid  such  plans  as  would  have  done,  ^way  with. 


n 


:•  .:  ' 


iilr 


i 


/ 


190     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

two  hundred  millions  of  florins  in  gold,  unless  they 
had  not  only  ample  resources,  but  also  a  master- 
brain  to  direct  them.  Nations  hesitate  at  nothing 
where  their  interests  are  concerned.  It  was  to 
the  interest  of  no  other  empire  but  England  to 
deplete  Austria  at  this  moment,  and  see  how  com- 
plete her  machinations  are.  No  nation  trusts  an- 
other, and  if  Austria  had  proof  that  England  is  at 
the  bottom  of  this  robbery,  she  dare  not  say  any- 
thing, because  her  war  chest  is  empty.  Then,  again, 
she  cannot  allow  either  Germany  or  Russia  to  know 
how  effectually  she  has  been  robbed,  for  no  one 
could  tell  what  either  of  those  nations  might  do 
under  the  circumstances.  The  Government  fears  to 
let  even  its  own  people  know  what  has  happened. 
It  is  a  stroke  of  vengeance  marvellous  in  its  finality. 
Austria  is  crippled  for  years  to  come,  unless  she  finds 
the  stolen  gold  on  her  own  territory." 

The  old  lady  had  worked  herself  up  into  such  a 
state  of  excitement  during  her  recital  that  she  did 
not  notice  that  most  of  her  companion  visitors  had 
taken  their  leave,  and  when  the  Princess  ap- 
proached the  two,  she  rose  with  some  trepidation. 

"  My  dear  Princess,"  she  said,  "  your  tea  has 
been  so  good,  and  the  company  of  your  young 
compatriot  has  been  -o  charming,  that  I  have  done 


/ 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


nothing  but  chatter,  chatter,  chatter  away  about 
things  which  should  only  be  spoken  of  under  one's 
breath,  and  now  I  must  hurry  away.  May  I  venture 
to  hope  that  you  will  honour  me  with  your  presence 
at  one  of  my  receptions  if  I  send  you  a  card  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  do  so,"  replied  the  Prin- 
cess, with  that  gracious  condescension  which  be- 
came her  so  well. 

The  garrulous  old  lady  was  the  last  to  take  her 
leave,  and  when  the  Princess  was  left  alone  with  her 
guest,  she  cried, — 

"  Jennie,  I  have  found  out  absolutely  nothing. 
What  have  you  discovered  ?  " 

"  Everything !  "  replied  the  girl,  walking  up  and 
down  the  floor  in  excitement  over  the  unearthing 
of  such  a  bonanza  of  news. 

"  You  don't  tell  me  so !  Now  do  sit  down  and 
let  me  know  the  full  particulars  at  once." 

When  Jennie's  exciting  story  was  finished,  she 
said, — 

"  You  see,  this  robbery  explains  why  the  Premier 
did  not  follow  up  his  warlike  speech.  The  police 
seem  to  think  that  England  has  had  a  hand  in  this 
robbery,  but  of  course  that  is  absurd." 

**  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  replied  the  Princess, 
taking,  as  she  spoke,  the  Chicago  point   of   view, 


1  It-," 


'Hi 


^■ 


iii 


192     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

and  forgetting  for  the  moment  her  position  among 
the  aristocracy  of  Europe.  "  England  takes  most 
things  it  can  get  its  hands  on,  and  she  is  not  too 
slow  to  pick  up  a  gold  mine  here  and  there,  so  why 
should  she  hesitate  when  the  gold  is  already  minted 
for  her?" 

"It  is  too  absurd  for  argument,"  continued 
Jennie, calmly,  "so  we  won't  talk  of  that  phase  of 
the  subject.  I  must  get  away  to  England  instantly. 
Let  us  find  out  when  the  next  train  leaves." 

"  Nonsense !  "  protested  the  Princess  ;  "  what  do 
you  need  to  go  to  England  for?  You  have  seen 
nothing  of  Vienna." 

"Oh,  I  can  see  Vienna  another  time;  I  must  get 
to  England  with  this  account  of  the  robbery." 

"  Won't  your  paper  pay  for  telegraphing  such  an 
important  piece  of  news  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  there  would  be  no  difficulty  about  that, 
but  I  dare  not  trust  either  the  post  or  the  telegraph 
in  a  case  like  this.     The  police  are  on  the  watch." 

"  But  couldn't  you  send  it  through  by  a  code  ? 
My  father  always  used  to  do  his  cabling  by  code ; 
it  saved  a  lot  of  money  and  also  kept  other  people 
from  knowing  what  his  business  was." 

"  I  have  a  code,  but  I  hesitate  about  trusting 
even  to  that."  ; 


/ 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


193 


"  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do/'  said  the  Princess. 
"  I  want  you  to  stay  in  Vienna." 
'    "  Oh,  I  shall  return,"   said    Jennie.     "  I've  only 
just  had  a  tast    of  this  delightful  city.     I'll  come 
right  back." 

'*  I  can't  trust  you  to  do  anything  of  the  kind. 
When  you  get  to  London  you  will  stay  there. 
Now  here  is  what  I  propose,  and  it  will  have  the 
additional  advantage  of  saving  your  paper  a  day. 
We  will  run  down  together  into  Italy — to  Venice ; 
then  you  can  take  along  your  code  and  telegraph 
from  there  in  perfect  safety.  When  that  is  done 
you  will  return  here  to  Vienna  with  me.  And 
another  thing,  you  may  be  sure  your  editor  will 
want  you  to  stay  right  here  on  the  spot  to  let  him 
know  of  any  outcome  of  this  sensational  denouement.'* 

"That  isn't  a  bad  idea,"  murmured  Jennie. 
"  How  long  will  it  take  us  to  get  to  Venice?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  am  sure  it  will  save  you 
hours  compared  with  going  to  London.  I  shall  get 
the  exact  time  for  you  in  a  moment." 

Jennie  followed  the  suggestions  of  the  Princess, 
and  together  the  two  went  to  the  ever  entrancing 
city  of  Venice.  By  the  time  they  reached  there, 
Jennie  had  her  account  written  and  coded.  The 
long  message  was  handed  in  at  the  telegraph  ofKce 


% 
i  ' 


{ 

■  \    . 

>H| 

II 

1 

i     ,. 

;■  .;■  V 

^iJk^k 

1^ 

194     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

as  soon  as  the  two  arrived  in  Venice.  Jennie  also 
sent  the  editor  a  private  despatch  giving  her  address 
in  Venice,  and  also  telling  him  the  reason  for  send- 
ing the  telegram  from  Italy  rather  than  from  Aus- 
tria or  Germany.  In  the  evening  she  received  a 
reply  from  Mr.  Hardwick.  "This  is  magnificent," 
the  telegram  said.  "  I  doubt  if  anything  like  it  has 
ever  been  done  before.  We  will  startle  the  world 
to-morrow  morning.  Please  return  to  Vienna,  for, 
as  you  have  discovered  this  much,  I  am  perfectly 
certain  that  you  will  be  able  to  capture  the  robbers. 
Of  course  all  the  police  and  all  the  papers  of  Europe 
will  be  on  the  same  scent,  but  I  am  sure  that  you 
will  prove  a  match  for  the  whole  combination." 

"Oh,  dear!"  cried  Jennie,  as  she  handed  the 
message  to  her  friend.  "  What  a  bothersome  world 
this  is — there  is  no  finality  about  anything!  One  piece 
of  work  simply  leads  to  another.  Here  I  thought  I 
had  earned  at  least  a  good  month's  rest,  but  instead 
of  that,  a  further  demand  is  made  upon  me.  I  am 
like  the  genii  in  fairy  tales ;  no  sooner  is  one  appar- 
ently impossible  task  accomplished  than  another  is 
set." 

"  But  what  a  magnificent  thing  it  would  be  if 
you  could  discover  the  robber  or  robbers  1" 

"Magnificent  enough,  yes;  but  that  isn't  to  be 


/ 


TEA  AND  GOSSIP. 


195 


done  by   inviting  a  lot   of  old   women  to   tea,  is 
it?" 

"True,  so  we  shall  have  to  set  our  wits  together 
in  another  direction.  I  tell  you,  Jennie,  I  know  I 
have  influence  enough  to  have  you  made  a  member 
of  the  special  police.  Shall  I  introduce  you  as 
from  America,  and  say  that  you  have  made  a  spec- 
ialty of  solving  mysteries  ?  An  appointment  to  the 
special  police  would  allow  you  to  have  unrestricted 
entrance  to  the  secret  portion  of  the  Treasury  build, 
ing.  You  would  see  the  rooms  damaged  by  the 
explosion,  and  you  would  learn  what  the  police  have 
discovered.  With  that  knowledge  to  begin  with, 
we  might  then  do  something  towards  solving  the 
problem." 

"  Madame  la  Princesse,"  cried  Jennie,  enthusias- 
tically, "you  are  inspired  !  The  very  thing.  Let  us 
get  back  to  Vienna."  And  accordingly  the  two 
conspirators  left  Italy  that  night  for  Austria. 


1  ■  1 


'     I 


/ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

JENNIE  BECOMES  A  SPECIAL  POLICE  OFFICER. 

When  Jennie  returned  to  Vienna,  and  was  once 
more  installed  in  her  luxurious  rooms  at  the  Palace 
Steinheimer,  she  received  in  due  tin  s  a  copy  of  the 
Daily  Bugle,  sent  to  her  under  cover  as  a  registered 
letter.  The  girl  could  not  complain  that  the  editor 
had  failed  to  make  the  most  of  the  news  she  had  sent 
h/11.  As  she  opened  out  the  paper  she  saw  the 
great  black  headlines  that  extended  across  two  col- 
umns, and  the  news  itself  dated  not  from  Venice, 
but  from  Vienna,  was  in  type  much  larger  than  that 
ordinarily  used  in  the  paper,  and  was  double-headed. 
The  headings  were  startling  enough :  — 

PHANTOM  GOia 

the  most  gigantic  robbery  of  modern  times. 
The  Austrian  War  Chest  Dynamited. 

TWENTY  million  POUNDS  IN  COIN  LOOTED. 

Appalling  Disaster  at  the  Treasury  in 

,7  Vienna. 

four  men  killed,  and  sixteen  others 
more  or  less  seriously  injured. 


* 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.        197 

"  Dear  me  !  "  the  Princess  cried,  peering  over 
Jennie's  shoulder  at  these  amazing  headings,  "  how 
like  home  that  looks.  The  Bugle  doesn't  at  all  re- 
semble a  London  journal ;  it  reminds  me  of  a  Chi- 
cago paper's  account  of  a  baseball  match  :  a  baseball 
match  when  Chicago  was  winning,  of  course,  and 
when  Anson  had  lined  out  the  ball  from  the  plate 
to  the  lake  front,  and  brought  three  men  in  on  a 
home  run  at  a  critical  point  in  the  game." 

"  Good  gracious !  "  cried  Jennie,  "  what  language 
arc  you  speaking?  Is  it  slang,  or  some  foreign 
tongue  ?  " 

•*  It  is  pure  Chicagoese,  Jennie,  into  which  I 
occasionally  lapse  even  here  in  prim  Vienna.  I 
should  like  to  see  a  good  baseball  match,  with  the 
Chicago  nine  going  strong.  Let  us  abandon  this 
effete  monarchy,  Jennie,  and  pay  a  visit  to 
America." 

"  I'll  go  with  pleasure  if  you  will  tell  me  first  who 
robbed  the  war  chest.  If  you  can  place  your 
dainty  fore-finger  on  the  spot  that  conceals  two 
hundred  million  florins  in  gold,  I'll  go  anywhere 
with  you." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  reminds  me.  I  spoke  to  my  hus- 
band this  morning  and  asked  him  if  he  could  get 
you  enrolled  as  a  special   detective,   and  he    said 


% 


Mill  II 


\\  I 


198        JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

there  would  be  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  such  an 
appointment  for  a  woman.  Would  you  have  any 
objection  to  dressing  up  as  a  nice  young  man, 
Jennie  ?  " 

"  I  should  very  much  rather  not ;  I  hope  you 
didn't  suggest  that  to  the  Prince." 

The  Princess  laughed  merrily  and  shook  her 
head. 

"  No,  I  told  him  that  I  believed  that  you  would 
solve  the  mystery  if  anyone  could,  and,  remember- 
ing what  you  had  done  in  that  affair  of  my  dia- 
monds, my  husband  has  the  greatest  faith  in  your 
powers  as  an  investigator ;  but  he  fears  the  authori- 
ties here  will  be  reluctant  to  allow  a  woman  to  have 
any  part  in  the  search.  They  have  very  old-fash- 
ioned ideas  about  women  in  Austria,  and  think 
her  proper  place  is  presiding  over  a  tea-table." 

"  Well,  if  they  only  knew  it,"  said  Jennie  archly, 
"  some  things  have  been  discovered  over  a  teacup 
within  our  own  memories." 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  replied  the  Princess,  "  but  we 
can  hardly  give  the  incident  as  a  recommendation  to 
the  Austrian  authorities.  By  the  way,  have  you 
noticed  that  no  paper  in  Vienna  has  said  a  single 
word  about  the  robbery  of  the  war  chest  ?  It  must 
have  been  telegraphed  here   very   promptly   from 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       199 

London,  and  yet  they  do  not  deny  it,  which 
is  the  usual  way  of  meeting  the  truth." 

While  they  were  talking  a  message  came  from  his 
Highness,  asking  if  he  might  take  the  liberty  of 
breaking  in  upon  their  conference.  A  few  moments 
after,  the  Prince  himself  entered  the  apartment 
and  bowed  with  courtly  deference  to  the  two  ladies. 

"  I  have  succeeded,"  he  said,  "  beyond  my  ex- 
p  .;tations.  It  seems  that  a  newspaper  in  London 
has  published  an  account  of  the  whole  affair,  and  the 
police,  who  were  at  their  wits'  end  before,  are  even 
more  flustered  now  that  the  account  of  the  robbery 
has  been  made  public.  By  the  way,  how  did  you 
learn  anything  about  this  robbery?  It  did  not 
strike  me  at  the  time  you  spoke  about  Miss 
Baxter's  commission  this  morning,  but  I  have  been 
wondering  ever  since." 

"Jennie  received  a  paper  from  London,"  said  the 
Princess  hurriedly,  "which  said  the  war  chest  of 
Austria  had  been  robbed  of  two  hundred  million 
florins,  but  there  is  nothing  about  it  in  the  Vienna 
press." 

"  No,"  replied  the  Prince  ;  '  nor  is  there  likely  to 
be.  The  robbery  is  now  known  to  all  the  world 
except  Austria,  and  I  imagine  nothing  will  be  said 
about  it  here." 


ii 


■li 


■^mmmmmmmm 


t:  I' ' 


irn 


lilil 


200     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Is  there,  then,  any  truth  in  the  report  ?  "  asked 
the  Princess,  innocently. 

"  Truth  !  It's  all  truth  ;  that  is  just  where  the 
trouble  is.  There  is  little  use  of  our  denying  it, 
because  this  London  paper  is  evidently  well  in- 
formed, and  to  deny  it  we  should  have  to  publish 
something  about  the  robbery  itself,  which  we  are 
not  inclined  to  do.  It  is  known,  however,  who  the 
two  correspondents  of  this  London  paper  are,  and  I 
believe  the  police  are  going  to  make  it  so  interesting 
for  those  two  gentlemen  that  they  will  be  glad  to 
leave  Vienna,  for  a  time,  at  least.  Of  course,  nothing 
can  be  done  openly,  because  Englishmen  make 
such  afuss  when  their  liberties  are  encroached  upon. 
One  of  the  young  men  has  been  lured  across  the 
frontier  by  a  bogus  telegraph,  and  I  think  the 
authorities  will  see  that  he  does  not  get  back  in  a 
hurry  ;  the  other  we  expect  to  be  rid  of  before  long. 
Of  course,  we  could  expel  him,  but  if  we  did  it 
would  be  thought  that  we  had  done  so  because  he 
had  found  out  the  truth  about  the  explosion." 

"  How  did  you  learn  of  the  explosion  ?  "  asked 
the  Princess.  ^ 

"  Oh,  I  have  known  all  about  the  affair  ever  since 
it  happered." 

The  Princess  gave  Jennie  a   quick   look,  which 


It 

f 


er  since 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       201 

said  as  plain  as  words,  "  Here  was  the  news  that 
we  wanted  in  our  household,  and  we  never  sus- 
pected it." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me?"  cried  the  Princess, 
indignantly. 

"  Well,  you  see,  my  dear,  you  never  took  much 
interest  in  politics,  and  I  did  not  think  the  news 
would  have  any  attraction  for  you  ;  besides,"  he 
added,  with  a  smile,  "  we  were  all  cautioned  to  keep 
the  matter  as  secret  as  possible." 

"  And  wonderfully  well  you  have  managed  it !  ** 
exclaimed  the  Princess.  "  That  shows  what  comes 
of  trusting  a  secret  to  a  lot  of  men  ;  here  it  is,  pub- 
lished to  all  the  world." 

"Not  quite  all  the  world,  my  dear.  As  I  have 
said,  Austria  will  know  nothing  regarding  it." 

"  The  Princess  tells  me,"  said  Jennie,  "  that  you 
were  kind  enough  to  endeavour  to  get  me  permission 
to  make  some  investigation  into  this  mystery. 
Have  you  succeeded?  " 

"Yes,  Miss  Baxter,  as  I  said,  I  have  succeeded 
quite  beyond  my  expectations,  for  a  lady  detective 
is  comparatively  an  innovation  in  Vienna.  How- 
ever, the  truth  is,  the  police  are  completely  in  a 
fog,  and  they  are  ready  to  welcome  help  from 
whatever   quarter   it   comes.     Here    is    a    written 


1    I 


m 


i    !! 


/ 


202     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

permit  from  the  very  highest  authority,  which  you 
do  not  need  to  use  except  in  a  case  of  emergency. 
Here  is  also  an  order  from  the  Chief  of  Police, 
which  will  open  for  you  every  door  in  Vienna ;  and 
finally,  here  is  a  badge,  which  you  can  pin  on  some 
not  too  conspicuous  portion  of  your  clothing ;  this 
badge,  I  understand,  is  rarely  given  out.  It  is  partly 
civil  and  partly  military.  You  can  show  it  to  any 
guard,  who  will,  on  seeing  it,  give  you  the  right-of- 
way.  In  case  he  does  not,  appeal  to  his  superior 
officer,  and  allow  him  to  read  your  police  permit. 
Should  that  fail,  then  play  your  trump  card,  which  is 
this  highly  important  document.  The  Director  of 
Police,  who  is  a  very  shrewd  man,  seemed  anxious  to 
make  your  acquaintance  before  you  began  your  in- 
vestigation. He  asked  me  if  you  would  call  upon 
him,  but  seemed  taken  aback  when  I  told  him 
you  were  my  wife's  friend  and  a  guest  at  our 
house,  so  he  suggested  that  you  would  in  all  proba- 
bility wish  first  to  see  the  scene  of  the  explosion, 
and  proposed  that  he  should  call  here  with  his  car- 
riage and  accompany  you  to  the  Treasury.  He 
wished  to  know  if  foui  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
would  suit  your  convenience  !" 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  replied  Jennie,  "  I  am  eager  to  be- 
gin at  once,  and,  of  course  I  shall  be  much  obliged 


/ 


( 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       203 

to  him  if  he  will  act  as  my  guide  in  the  vaults  of 
the  Treasury,  and  tell  me  how  much  they  have  al- 
ready discovered.** 

"You  must  not  expect  much  information  from 
the  police — in  fact,  I  doubt  if  they  have  discovered 
anything.  Still,  if  they  have,  they  are  more  than 
likely  to  keep  it  to  themselves ;  and  I  imagine  they 
will  hold  a  pretty  close  watch  on  you,  being  more 
anxious  to  learn  what  you  discover,  and  thus  take 
the  credit  if  they  can,  than  to  furnish  you  with  any 
knowledge  of  the  affair  they  may  happen  to  possess." 

"That  is  quite  natural,  and  only  what  one  has  a 
right  to  expect.  I  don't  wish  to  rob  the  police  of 
whatever  repute  there  is  to  be  gained  from  this  in- 
vestigation, and  I  am  quite  willing  to  turn  over 
to  them  any  clues  I  may  happen  to  chance  upon." 

"  Well,  if  you  can  convince  the  Director  of 
that,  you  will  have  all  the  assistance  he  can  give 
you.  It  wouldn't  be  bad  tactics  to  let  him  know 
that  you  are  acting  merely  in  an  amateur  way,  and 
that  you  have  no  desire  to  rob  the  police  of  their 
glory  when  it  comes  to  the  solving  of  the  problem." 

Promptly  at  four  o'clock  the  Director  of  the 
Police  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  Palace  Stein- 
heimer.  He  appeared  to  be  a  most  obsequious, 
highly-decorated  old  gentleman,  in  a  very  resplen- 


i.    ( 


i 
i 

i'.l 


■i.a 


If         h 


■  iiv^l?  ! 


'■      > 

ill 

1 

i  i 

i 

1  1 1 

1   ' 

j! 

204     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

dent  uniform,  and  he  could  hardly  conceal  his 
surprise  at  learning  that  the  lady  detective  was  a 
woman  so  young  and  so  pretty.  Charmed  as  he 
was  to  find  himself  in  the  company  of  one  so  en- 
g;iging>  it  was  nevertheless  evident  to  Jennie  that 
he  placed  no  very  high  estimate  on  the  assistance 
she  might  be  able  to  give  in  solving  the  mystery  of 
the  Treasury.  This  trend  of  mind,  she  thought, 
had  its  advantages,  for  the  Director  would  be  less 
loth  to  give  her  full  particulars  of  what  had  already 
been  accomplished  by  the  police. 

Jennie  accompanied  the  Director  to  that  exten- 
sive mass  of  buildings  of  which  the  Treasury  forms  a 
part.  The  carriage  drew  up  at  a  doorway,  and 
here  the  Director  and  his  companion  got  out.  He 
led  the  way  into  the  edifice,  then,  descending  a 
stair,  entered  an  arched  corridor,  at  the  door  of 
which  two  soldiers  stood  on  guard,,  who  saluted  as 
the  Chief  passed  them. 

"  Does  this  lead  to  the  room  where  the  explosion 
took  place?"  asked  Jennie. 

"  Yes." 

"And  is  this  the  only  entrance  ?** 

"  The  only  entrance,  madame." 

"  Were  the  men  on  guard  in  this  doorway  injured 
by  the  explosion  ?" 


al    his 
was  a 
I  as  he 
:  so  en- 
lie  that 
listance 
itery  of 
iiought, 
be  less 
already 

t  exten- 

'  forms  a 

ay,    and 

ut.     He 

nding  a 

door  of 

uted  as 

xplosion 


■  injured 


"two  SOLIHF.US  stood  on    (JIARD,    who   SALlTlIt)   AS   Tllli  CHIEF 
TASSEU  THEM."— /<JAV  -'Oy. 


In  8  i 

JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       205 

"Yes.  They  were  not  seriously  injured,  but 
were  rendered  incapable  for  a  time  of  attending  to 
their  duties." 

"  Then  a  person  could  have  escaped  without 
their  seeing  him  ?  " 

"  A  whole  regiment  of  persons  might  have  es- 
caped. You  will  understand  the  situation  exactly 
if  I  compare  this  corridor  to  a  long  cannon,  the  room 
at  the  end  being  the  breech-loading  chamber.  Two 
guards  were  inside  the  room,  and  two  others  stood 
outside  the  door  that  communicated  with  this 
corridor.  These  four  men  were  killed  instantly. 
Of  the  guards  inside  the  room  not  a  vestige  has 
been  found.  The  door,  one  of  the  strongest  that 
can  be  made,  somewhat  similar  to  the  door  of  a 
safe,  was  flung  outward  and  crushed  to  the  floor  the 
two  guards  who  stood  outside  it  in  the  corridor. 
Between  the  chamber  in  which  the  chest  lay  and 
the  outside  entrance  were  sixteen  men  on  guard. 
Everyone  of  these  was  flung  down,  for  the  blast,  if 
I  may  call  it  so,  travelled  through  this  straight 
corridor  like  the  charge  along  the  inside  of  the 
muzzle  of  a  gun.  The  guards  nearest  the  treasure- 
chamber  were,  of  course,  the  more  seriously  injured, 
but  those  further  out  did  not  escape  the  shock,  and 
the  door  by  which  we  entered  this  corridor,  while 


,i  i^ 


If- 


iimli 


/ 


206     JENNIE  BAXTER.  JOURNALIST. 

not  blown  from  its  hin<;os,  \\as  nevertheless  forced 

open,  its  strong  bolts  snapping  like  matches.     So 
when  you  see  the   great  distance   that  intervened 

between  the  chamber  and  that  door,  you  will  have 

some  idea  of  the  force  of  the  explosion." 

"  There  is  no  exit,  then,  from  the  treasure  cham- 
ber except  along  this  corridor  ?  " 

"  No,  madame.  The  walls  at  the  outside  of  the 
chamber  are  of  enormous  strength,  because,  of  course 
it  was  expected  that  if  an  attempt  at  robbery  were 
ever  made  it  would  be  made  from  the  outside,  and 
it  is  scarcely  possible  that  even  the  most  expert  of 
thieves  could  succeed  in  passing  two  guards  at  the 
door,  sixteen  officers  and  soldiers  along  the  corridor, 
two  outside  the  Treasury  door,  and  two  in  the  cham- 
ber itself.  Such  a  large  number  of  soldiers  was 
kept  here  so  that  any  attempt  at  bribery  would  be 
impossible.  Among  such  a  number  one  or  two  were 
sure  to  be  incorruptible,  and  the  guards  were  con- 
stantly changed.  Seldom  was  either  officer  or  man 
twice  on  duty  here  during  the  month.  With  such 
a  large  amount  at  stake  every  precaution  was 
taken." 

"Are  there  any  rooms  at  the  right  or  left  of  this 
corridor  in  which  the  thieves  could  have  concealed 
themselves  while  they  fired  the  mine  ?  " 


/ 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       207 

"No,  the  corridor  leads  to  the  treasure  chamber 
alone." 

*'  Then,"  said  Jennie,  "  I  can't  see  how  it  was 
possible  for  a  number  of  men  to  have  made  away 
with  the  treasure  in  such  circumstances  as  exist 
here." 

*'  Nevertheless,  my  dear  young  lady,  the  treasure 
is  gone.  Wc  think  that  the  mine  was  laid  with  the 
connivance  of  one  or  more  officers  on  duty  here. 
You  see  the  amount  at  stake  was  so  large  that  a 
share  of  it  would  tempt  any  nine  human  beings  out 
of  any  ten.  Our  theory  is  that  the  train  was  laid, 
possibly  electric  wires  being  used,  which  would  be 
unnoticed  along  the  edge  of  the  corridor,  and  that 
the  bribed  officer  exploded  the  dynamite  by  bring- 
ing the  ends  of  the  wires  into  contact.  We  think 
the  explosion  was  a  great  deal  more  severe  than 
was  anticipated.  Probably  it  was  expected  that 
the  shoclj:  would  break  a  hole  from  the  treasure 
chamber  to  the  street,  but  so  strong  were  the  walls 
that  no  impression  was  made  upon  them,  and  a 
cabman  who  was  driving  past  at  the  time  heard 
nothing  of  the  sound  of  the  explosion,  though  he 
felt  a  trembling  of  the  ground,  and  thought  for  a 
moment  there  had  been  a  shock  of  earthquake." 

"You  think,  then,  that  the  thieves  were  outside? " 


H 


K,: 


m 


n  i 


:o3     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"That  seems  the  only  possible  opinion  to  hold." 

"The  outside  doors  were  locked  and  bolted,  of 
course?" 

"  Oh,  certainly  ;  but  if  they  had  a  confederate  or 
two  in  the  large  hallway  upstairs,  these  traitors 
would  see  to  it  that  there  was  no  trouble  about 
getting  in.  Once  inside  the  large  hallway,  with 
guards  stunned  by  the  shock,  the  way  to  the 
treasure  chamber  was  absolutely  clear." 

"  There  were  sentries  outside  the  building,  I  sup- 
pose ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Did  they  see  any  vehicle  driving  near  the 
Treasury  ?  " 

"  No,  except  the  cab  I  spoke  of,  and  the  driver 
has  accounted  sati;.Cactorily  for  his  time  that 
night.  The  absence  or  any  conveyance  is  the 
strange  part  of  it ;  and,  moreover,  the  sentries,  al- 
though pacing  outside  the  walls  of  this  building, 
heard  nothing  of  the  concussion  beyond  a  low 
rumble,  and  those  who  thought  of  the  matter  at  all 
imagined  an  explosion  had  occurred  in  some  distant 
part  of  the  city." 

"  Then  the  outside  doors  in  the  large  hall  above 
were  not  blown  open  ?  "  ' 

♦*  No ;  the  officer  reports  that  they  were  locked  ancj 


m 


!  i 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       209 

bolted  when  he  exaniiiicd  them,  vvhicli  was  some 
minutes,  of  course,  after  the  disaster  had  taken 
place ;  for  he,  the  officer  in  charge,  had  been  thrown 
down  and  stunned,  seemingly,  by  the  concussion  of 
air  which  took  place." 

As  Jennie  walked  down  the  corridor,  she  saw 
more  and  more  of  the  evidences  of  the  convulsion. 
The  thick  iron-bound  door  lay  where  it  had  fallen, 
and  it  had  not  been  moved  since  it  was  lifted  to 
get  the  two  men  from  under  it.  Its  ponderous 
hinges  were  twisted  as  if  they  had  been  made  of 
glue,  and  its  massive  bolts  were  snapped  across  like 
bits  of  glass.  All  along  the  corridor  on  the  floor 
was  a  thick  coat  of  dust  and  ddbris,  finely  powdered, 
growing  deeper  and  deeper  until  they  came  to  the 
entrance  of  the  room.  There  was  no  window  either 
in  corridor  or  chamber,  and  the  way  was  lit  by  can- 
dles held  by  soldiers  who  accompanied  them.  The 
scoria  crunched  under  foot  as  they  walked,  and 
in  the  chamber  itself  great  heaps  of  dust,  sand  and 
plaster,  all  pulverised  into  minute  particles,  lay  in 
the  corners  of  the  room,  piled  up  on  one  side  higher 
than  a  man's  head.  There  seemed  to  be  tons  of  this 
di'bris^  and  as  Jennie  looked  up  at  the  arched  ceil- 
ing, resembling  the  roof  of  a  vaulted  dungeon,  she 


J  \ 


m 


\ 


Pi 


210     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

saw  that  the  stone  itself  had  been  ground  to  fine 
dust  with  the  tremendous  force  of  the  blast. 

"  Where  are  the  remnants  of  the  treasure  chest  ?  " 
she  asked. 

The  Director  shook  his  head.  "There  are  no 
remnants ;  not  a  vestige  of  it  is  to  be  found." 

"  Of  what  was  it  made  ?  " 

"  We  used  to  have  an  old  treasure  chest  here 
made  of  oak,  bound  with  iron  ;  but  some  years  ago, 
a  new  receptacle  being  needed,  one  was  especially 
built  of  hardened  steel  constructed  on  the  modern 
principles  of  those  burglar-proof  and  fire-proof 
safes." 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  say  that  there  is  nothing 
left  of  this?" 

"  Nothing  that  we  have  been  able  to  discover." 

"  Well,  I  have  seen  places  where  dynamite  explo- 
sions have  occurred,  but  I  know  of  nothing  to  comh 
pare  with  this.  I  am  sure  that  if  dynamite  has  been 
used,  or  any  explosive  now  generally  obtainable, 
there  would  have  been  left,  at  least,  some  remnant 
of  the  safe.  Hasn't  this  pile  of  rubbish  been  dis- 
turbed since  the  explosion  ?  " 

"Yes,  it  has  been  turned  over:  we  made  a 
search  for  the  two  men,  but  we  found  no  trace  of 
them." 


/ 


fine 

St?" 

re  no 


here    ^ 
s  ago,     ' 
jcially 
lodern 
;-proof 

othing 

er." 
explo- 
:o  com- 
LS  been 
finable, 
:mnant 
:en  dis- 

lade   a 
face   of 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       211 

"  And  you  found  no  particles  of  iron  or  steel  ?  '* 

"The  heap  throughout  is  just  as  you  see  it  on 
the  surface — a  fine,  almost  impalpable  dust.  We 
had  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  in  searching 
through  it,  for  the  moment  it  was  disturbed  with  a 
shovel  it  filled  the  air  with  suffocating  clouds.  Of 
course  we  shall  have  it  removed  by-and-by  and 
carted  away,  but  I  considered  it  better  to 
allow  it  to  remain  here  until  we  had  penetrated 
somewhat  further  into  the  mystery  than  we  have 
already  done." 

Jennie  stooped  and  picked  up  a  handful  from  the 
heap,  her  action  caused  a  mist  to  rise  in  the  air  that 
made  them  both  choke  and  cough,  and  yet  she  was 
instantly  struck  by  the  fact  that  her  handful  seemed 
inordinately  heavy  for  its  bulk. 

"  May  I  take  some  of  this  with  me  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  course,"  replied  the  Director.  "  I  will  have 
a  packet  of  it  put  up  for  you." 

"  I  would  like  to  take  it  with  me  now,"  said 
Jennie.  "  I  have  curiosity  to  know  exactly  of  what 
it  is  composed.  Who  is  the  Government  analyst  ? 
or  have  you  such  an  official  ?  " 

'*  Herr  Feltz,  in  the  Graubenstrasse,  is  a  famous 
analytical  chemist ;  you  cannot  do  better  than  go  to 
him." 


I'l 


!l 


m 


\\m 


ili 


212     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Do  you  think  he  knows  anything  about  explo. 
sives?  •( 

"  I  should  suppose  so,  but  if  not,  he  will  certainly 
be  able  to  tell  you  who  the  best  man  is  in  that 
line." 

k 

The  Director  ordered  one  of  the  soldiers  who 
accompanied  him  to  find  a  small  paper  bag,  and 
fill  it  with  some  dust  from  the  treasure  chamber. 

When  this  was  done,  he  handed  the  package  to 
Jennie,  who  said, — 

"  I  shall  go  at  once  and  see  Herr  Feltz." 

"  My  carriage  is  at  your  disposal,  madame." 

"  Oh,  no,  thank  you,  I  do  not  wish  to  trouble  you 
further.  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  devot- 
ing so  much  time  to  me  already.  I  shall  take  a 
fiacre." 

"My  carriage  is  a',  the  dooi,"  persisted  the 
Director,  "  and  I  will  instruct  the  driver  to  take 
you  directly  to  the  shop  of  Herr  Feltz ;  then  no 
time  will  be  lost,  and  I  think  if  I  am  with  you,  you 
will  be  more  sure  of  attention  from  the  chemist, 
who  is  a  very  busy  man." 

Jennie  saw  the  Director  did  not  wish  to  let  her 
out  of  his  sight,  and  although  she  :miled  at  his  sus- 
picion, she  answered  politely, — 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  take  so  much  trouble 


J! 


plo 

linly 
that 

who 

and 

nber. 

.ere  to 


JENNIE  A  SPECIAL  OFFICER.       213 

and  devote  so  much  of  your  time  to  me.  I  shall  be 
glad  of  your  company  if  you  are  quite  certain  I  am 
not  keeping  you  from  something  more  important." 

"  There  is  nothing  more  important  than  the 
investigation  we  have  on  hand,"  replied  the  Chief 
grimly. 


'I 


le  you 
devot- 
;ake   a 


td   the 

o  take 

en  no 

u,  you 

emist, 


k.  1 


I. 


let  her 
Ihis  sus- 

trouble 


i   ! 


■^ 


/ 


l)lih 


mA 


CHAPTER  XV. 

JENNIE  BESTOWS  INFORMATION   UPON  THE  CHIEF 

OF    POLICE. 

A  FEW  minutes  after  leaving  the  Treasury  build- 
ing the  carriage  of  the  Chief  stopped  in  front  of 
the  shop  of  Herr  Feltz  in  fhe  wide  Graubenstrasse. 
The  great  chemist  himself  waited  upon  them  and 
conducted  them  to  an  inner  and  private  room. 

**  I  should  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  would  tell  me 
the  component  parts  of  the  mixture  in  this 
package,"  said  Jennie,  as  she  handed  the  filled 
paper  bag  to  the  chemist. 

"How  soon  do  you  wish  to  know  the  result?" 
asked  the  man  of  chemicals. 

"  As  soon  as  possible,"  replied  Jennie.  / 

"  Could  you  give  me  until  this  hour  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  That  will  do  very  nicely,"  replied  Jennie,  look- 
ing up  at  the  Director  of  Police,  who  nodded  his 
head. 

With  that  the  two  took  their  leave,  and  once 
more  the  Director  of  Police  politely  handed  the 
girl  into  his  carriage,  and  they  drov^  to  the  Palace 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    215 

Steinheimer.  Here  she  again  thanked  him  cordially 
for  his  attentions  during  the  day.  The  Director 
answered,  with  equal  suavity,  that  his  duty  had  on 
this  occasion  been  a  pleasure,  and  asked  her  per- 
mission to  call  at  the  same  hour  the  next  afternoon 
and  take  her  to  the  chemist.  To  this  Jennie 
assented,  and  cheerily  bade  him  good-evening. 

The  Princess  was  waiting  for  her,  wild  with 
curiosity  to  know  what  had  happened. 

"  Oh,  Jennie  !  "  she  cried,  "  who  fired  the  mine, 
and  who  robbed  the  Government  ?  " 

Jennie  laughed  merrily  ^s  she  replied, — 

"Dear  Princess,  what  a  compliment  you  are 
paying  me !  Do  you  think  that  in  one  afternoon 
I  am  able  to  solve  a  mystery  that  has  defied  the 
combined  talents  of  all  the  best  detectives  in 
Austria  ?  I  wish  the  Director  of  Police  had  such 
faith  in  me  as  you  have." 

"  And  hasn't  he,  Jennie  ?  " 

"Indeed  he  has  not.  He  watched  me  every 
moment  he  was  with  me  as  if  he  feared  I  would 
disappear  into  thin  air,  as  the  treasure  has  done." 

"The  horrid  man!  I  shall  have  my  husband 
speak  to  him,  and  rid  you  of  this  annoyance." 

"Oh,  no.  Princess,  you  mustn't  do  anything  of 
the  kind.     I  don't  mind  it  in  the  least ;  in  fact,  it 


H 


t  i 


:a 


r^; 


i  i 


i 


i  i 


I 


ill 


mi 


!l    i    I 


/ 


/ 


2i6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

rather  amuses  me.  One  would  think  he  has  some 
suspicion  that  I  stole  the  money  myself." 

"  A  single  word  from  the  Prince  will  stop  all 
that,  you  know." 

"Yes,  I  know.  But  I  really  want  to  help  the 
Director ;  he  is  so  utterly  stupid." 

"  Now,  Jennie,  take  off  your  hat  and  sit  down 
here,  and  tell  me  every  incident  of  the  afternoon. 
Don't  you  seel  am  just  consumed  with  curiosity? 
I  know  you  have  discovered  something.  What  is 
it?" 

"  I  will  not  take  off  my  hat,  because  I  am  going 
out  again  directly  ;  but  if  you  love  me,  get  me  a  cup 
of  that  delicious  tea  of  yours  !  " 

"  I  shall  order  it  at  once,  but  dinner  will  be 
served  shortly.  You  are  surely  not  going  out 
alone  to-night  ?  " 

"  1  really  mast.  Do  not  forget  that  I  have  been 
used  to  take  care  of  myself  in  a  bigger  city  than 
Vienna  is,  and  I  shall  be  quite  safe.  You  will 
please  excuse  my  absence  from  the  dinner-table  to- 
night." 

"  Nonsense,  Jennie !  You  cannot  be  allowed  to 
roam  round  Vienna  in  that  Bohemian  way." 

"  Then,  Princess,  I  must  go  to  an  hotel,  for  this 
roaming  round  is  strictly   necessary,  and    I    don't 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    217 

want     to     bring    the     Palace     Steinheimer    into 
disrepute." 

"  Jennie,  I'll  tell  you  what  we  will  do  ;  we'll  both 
bring  it  into  disrepute.  The  Prince  is  dining  at  his 
club  to-night  with  some  friends,  so  I  shall  order  the 
carriage,  and  you  and  I  will  roam  round  together. 
You  will  let  me  come  won't  you  ?  Where  are  you 
going?" 

*'  1  am  going  to  the  Graubenstrasse  to  see  Herr 
Feltz." 

"  Oh,  I  know  Herr  Feltz,  and  a  dear  old  man  he 
is;  he  will  do  anything  for  me.  If  you  want  a 
favour  from  Herr  Feltz,  you  had  better  take  me 
with  you." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted.  Ah,  here  comes  the  tea. 
But  what  is  the  use  of  ordering  the  carriage  ? — we 
can  walk  there  in  a  few  minutes." 

"  I  think  we  had  better  have  the  carriage.  The 
Prince  would  be  wild  if  he  heard  that  we  two  went 
walking  about  the  streets  of  Vienna  at  night.  So, 
Jennie,  we  must  pay  some  respect  to  conven- 
tionality, and  we  will  take  the  carriage.  Now,  tell 
me  where  you  have  been,  and  what  you  have  seen, 
and  all  about  it." 

Over  their  belated  decoction  of  tea  Jennie  related 
everything  that  had  happened. 


i     '   I 


\i 


!   5   t'"M 


I^J 


.:^il 


2i8     JENNIE  BAXTER.  JOURNALIST. 


ii.     .  Li 


*'  And  what  do  you  expect  to  learn  from  the 
analysis  at  the  chemist's,  Jennie  ?" 

"  I  expect  to  learn  something  that  will  startle  the 
Director  of  Police." 

"And  what  is  that?  Jennie,  don't  keep  me  on 
tenterhooks  in  this  provoking  way.  How  can  you 
act  so  ?  I  shall  write  to  Lord  Donal  and  tell  him 
that  you  are  here  in  Vienna,  if  you  don't  mind."       i 

"Well,  under  such  a  terrible  threat  as  that,  I 
suppose  I  must  divulge  all  my  suspicions.  But  I 
really  don't  know  anything  yet ;  I  merely  suspect. 
The  weight  of  that  dust,  when  I  picked  up  a  hand- 
ful of  it,  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  gold  is  still 
there  in  the  rubbish  heap." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  so !  Then  there  has 
been  no  robbery  at  all  ?  " 

"  There  may  have  been  a  robbery  planned,  but  I 
do  not  think  any  thief  got  a  portion  of  the  gold. 
The  chances  are  that  they  entirely  under-estimated 
the  force  of  the  explosive  they  were  using,  for,  unless 
I  am  very  much  mistaken,  they  were  dealing  with 
something  a  hundred  times  more  powerful  than 
dynamite." 

"And  will  the  chemical  analysis  show  what 
explosive  was  used?" 

"  No  ;  it  will  only  show  of  what  the  debris  is  com- 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.   2tg 

posed.  It  will  settle  the  question  whether  or  not 
the  gold  is  in  that  dust-heap.  If  it  is,  then  I  think 
the  Government  will  owe  me  some  thanks,  because 
the  Director  of  Police  talked  of  carting  the  rubbish 
away  and  dumping  it  out  of  sight  somewhere.  If 
the  Government  gets  back  its  gold,  I  suppose  the 
question  of  who  fired  the  mine  is  merely  of  academic 
interest." 

"  The  carriage  is  waiting,  your  Highness,"  was 
the  announcement  made  to  the  Princess,  who  at 
once  jumped  up,  and  said, — 

<  **  I'll  be  ready  in  five  minutes.  I'm  as  anxious  now 
as  you  are  to  hear  what  the  chemist  has  to  say  ;  but 
I  thought  you  told  me  he  wouldn't  have  the  analysis 
ready  until  four  o'clock  to-morrow.  What  is  the 
use  of  going  there  to-night  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  reasonably  certain  that  the  Direc- 
tor of  Police  will  see  him  early  to-morrow  morning, 
and  I  want  to  get  the  first  copy  of  the  analysis  my- 
self." 

With  that  the  Princess  ran  away  and  presently 
reappeared  with  her  wraps  on.  The  two  drove  to 
the  shop  of  Herr  Feltz  in  the  Graubenstrasse,  and 
were  told  that  the  chemist  could  not  be  seen  in 
any  circumstances.  He  had  left  orders  that  he  was 
not  to  be  disturbed. 


220    JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


/ 


ii:  .      I 


*'  Disobey  those  orders  and  take  in  my  card," 
said  the  Princess. 

A  glance  at  the  card  dissolved  the  man's  doubts, 
and  he  departed  to  seek  his  master. 

"  He  is  working  at  the  analysis  now,  I'llrvarrant," 
whispered  the  Princess  to  her  companion.  In  a 
sho»*t  time  Herr  Feltz  himself  appeared.  He 
greeted  the  Princess  with  most  deferential  respect, 
but  seemed  astonished  to  find  in  her  company  the 
young  woman  who  had  called  on  him  a  few  hours 
previously  with  the  Director  of  the  Police. 

*'  I  wanted  to  ask  you,"  said  Jennie,  "  to  finish  your 
analysis  somewhat  earlier  than  four  o'clock  to-mor- 
row.    I  suppose  it  can  be  done  ?  " 

The  man  of  science  smiled  and  looked  at  her  for 
a  moment,  but  did  not  reply. 

"You  will  oblige  my  friend,  I  hope,"  said  the 
Princess. 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  oblige  any  friend  of 
your  Highness,"  answered  the  chemist  slowly, 
"but  unfortunately,  in  this  instance  I  have  orders 
from  an  authority  not  to  be  disputed." 

**  What  orders  ?  "  demanded  the  Princess. 

"  I  promised  the  analysis  at  four  o'clock  to- 
morrow, and  at  that  hour  it  will  be  ready  for  the 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    221 


young  lady.  I  am  ordered  not  to  show  the  analysis 
to  anyone  before  that  time." 

"  Those  orders  came  from  the  Director  of  Police, 
I  suppose  ?  " 

The  chemist  bowed  low,  but  did  not  speak. 

"  I  understand  how  it  is,  Jennie ;  he  came  here 
immediately  after  seeing  you  home.  I  suppose  he 
visited  you  again  within  the  hour  after  he  left  with 
this  young  lady — is  that  the  case,  Herr  Feltz  ?  " 

"  Your  Highness  distresses  me  by  asking  questions 
that  I  am  under  pledge  not  to  answer." 

"  J.s  the  analysis  completed  ?  " 

"  That  is  another  question  which  I  sincerely  hope 
your  Highness  will  not  press." 

"  Very  well,  Herr  Feltz,  I  shall  ask  you  a  ques- 
tion or  two  of  which  you  will  not  be  so  frightened. 
I  have  told  my  friend  here  that  you  would  do  any- 
thing for  me,  but  I  see  I  have  been  mistaken." 

The  chemist  made  a  deprecatory  motion  of  his 
hands,  spreading  them  out  and  bowing.  It  was 
plainly  apparent  that  his  seeming  discourtesy 
caused  him  deep  regret.  He  was  about  to  speak, 
but  the  Princess  went  impetuously  on. 

"  Is  the  Director  of  Police  a  friend  of  yours,  Herr 
Feltz  ?  I  don't  mean  merely  an  official  friend,  but 
a  personal  friend  ?  " 


;  m 


222     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  I  am  under  many  obligations  to  him,  your 
/  Highness,  and  besides  that,  like  any  other  citizen 

of  Vienna,  I  am  compelled  to  obey  him  when  he 
commands." 

"  What  I  want  to  learn,"  continued  the  Princess, 
her  anger  visibly  rising  at  this  unexpected  opposi- 
tion, "  is  whether  you  wish  the  man  well  or  not?" 

"  I  certainly  wish  him  well,  your  Highness." 

"  In  that  case  know  that  if  my  friend  leaves  this 
shop  without  seeing  the  analysis  of  the  material 
she  brought  to  you,  the  Director  of  Police  will  be 
dismissed  from  his  office  to-morrow.  If  you  doubt 
my  influence  with  my  husband  to  have  that  done,  just 
try  the  experiment  of  sending  us  away  unsatisfied." 

The  old  man  bowed  his  white  head. 

"Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  take  the 
responsibility  of  refusing  to  obey  the  orders  of  the 
Director  of  Police.     Excuse  me  for  a  moment." 

He  retired  into  his  den,  and  presently  emerged 
with  a  sheet  of  paper  in  his  hand. 

"It  must  be  understood,"  he  said,  addressing 
Jennie,  "  that  the  analysis  is  but  roughly  made.  I 
intended  to  devote  the  night  to  a  more  minute 
scrutiny."  : 

"All  I  want  at  the  present  moment,"  said 
Jennie,  "  is  a  rough  analysis," 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    2fl3 

"There  it  is,"  said  the  chemist,  handing  her  the 
paper. 
She  read, — 


Calcium  .... 

••••                 •••• 

29 

Iron        .... 

•  •  •  •                 •••• 

4 

Quartz      \ 
Feldspar  V 
Mica        J 

•tfl«                 •••• 

a? 

Gold         .... 

••••                 •••• 

36* 

Traces  of  other  substances  .... 

34 

Total 

••••                 •••• 

too 

Jennie's  eyes  sparkled  as  she  looked  at  the  figures 
before  her.  She  handed  the  paper  to  the  Princess, 
saying,— 

"You  see,  I  was  right  in  my  surmise.  More 
than  one-third  of  that  heap  is  pure  gold." 

"I  should  explain,"  said  the  chemist,  "that  I 
have  grouped  the  quartz,  feldspar,  and  mica  to- 
gether, without  giving  the  respective  portions  of 
each,  because  it  is  evident  that  the  combination 
represents  granite." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Jennie  ;  "  the  walls  and  the 
roof  are  of  granite." 

"  I  would  further  add,"  continued  the  chemist, 
"  that  I  have  never  met  gold  so  finely  divided  as 
this  is." 


M 

m;!} 


/ 


/ 


224     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Have  you  the  gold  and  other  ingredients  sepa- 
rated ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

**  I  shall  take  them  with  me,  if  you  please." 

The  chemist  shortly  after  brought  her  the  com- 
ponents, in  little  glass  vials,  labelled. 

''  Have  you  any  idea,  Herr  Feltz,  what  explosive 
would  reduce  gold  to  such  fine  powder  as  th    ?*' 

"  I  have  only  a  theoretical  knowledge  of  ex- 
plosives, and  I  know  of  nothing  that  would  produce 
such  results  as  we  have  here.  Perhaps  Professor 
Carl  Seigfried  could  give  you  some  information  on 
that  point.  The  scienre  of  detonation  has  been 
his  life  study,  and  he  stands  head  and  shoulders 
above  his  fellows  in  that  department." 

"  Can  you  give  me  his  address  ?  " 

The  chemist  wrote  the  address  on  a  sheet  of 
paper  and  handed  it  to  the  young  woman. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  know  whether  Professor 
Seigfried  or  his  assistants  have  been  calicd  in  dur- 
ing this  investigation  ?  " 

"  What  investigation,  madame  ?  " 

"The  investigation  of  the  recent  terrible  ex- 
plosion." 

"  I  have  heard  of  no  explosion,"  replied  the 
chemist,  evidently  bewildered. 


/ 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    225 

Then  Jennie  remembered  that,  while  the  particu- 
lars of  the  disaster  in  the  Treasury  were  known  to 
the  world  at  large  outside  of  Austria,  no  knowledge 
of  the  catastrophe  had  got  abroad  in  Vienna. 

"The  Professor,"  continued  the  chemist,  noticing 
Jennie's  hesitation,  "is  not  a  very  practical  man. 
He  is  deeply  learned,  and  has  made  some  great 
discoveries  in  pure  science,  but  he  has  done  little 
towards  applying  his  knowledge  to  any  everyday 
useful  purpose.  If  you  meet  him,  you  will  find 
liim  a  dreamer  and  a  theorist.  But  if  you  once 
succeed  in  interesting  him  in  any  matter,  he  will 
prosecute  it  to  the  very  end,  quite  regardless  of 
the  time  he  spends  or  the  calls  of  duty  elsewhere." 

"Then  he  is  just  the  man  I  wish  to  see,"  said 
Jennie  decisively,  and  with  that  they  took  leave  of 
the  chemist  and  once  more  entered  the  carriage. 

"  I  want  to  drive  to  another  place,"  said  Jennie, 
"  before  it  gets  too  late." 

"  Good  gracious  !  "  cried  the  Princess  ;  "  you 
surely  do  not  intend  to  call  on  Professor  Seigfried 
to-night?" 

"  No ;  but  I  want  to  drive  to  the  office  of  the 
Director  of  Police." 

"  Oh,  that  won't  take  us  long,"  said  the  Princess, 
giving  the   necessary   order.     The  coachman  took 


11, 


, '    ! 


i' 


ff.j,  1 1  (i»wiiiwiiiwwi«mii 


226     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

them  to  the  night  entrance  of  the  central  police 
station  by  the  Hohenstaufengasse  and,  leaving 
the  Princess  in  the  carriage,  Jennie  went  in  alone 
to  speak  with  the  officer  in  charge. 

"  I  wish  to  see  the  Director  of  Police,"  she  said. 

"  He  will  not  be  here  until  to-morrow  morning. 
He  is  at  home.     Is  it  anything  important  ?  ** 

"  Yes.     Where  is  his  residence  ?  " 

"  If  you  will  have  the  kindness  to  inform  me 
what  your  business  is,  madame,  we  will  have 
pleasure  in  attending  to  it  without  disturbing  Herr 
Director."  ^ 

"  I  must  communicate  with  the  Director  in  per- 
son. The  Princ/'ss  von  Steinheimer  is  in  her  car- 
riage outside,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  keep  her  wait- 
ing." At  mention  of  the  Princess  the  officer 
bestirred  himself  and  became  tremendously  polite. 

"  I  shall  call  the  Director  at  once,  and  he  will  be 
only  too  happy  to  wait  upon  you." 

"  Oh,  have  you  a  telephone  here  ?  and  can  I 
speak  with  him  myself  without  being  overheard  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  madame.  If  you  will  step  into  this 
room  with  me,  I  will  call  him  up  and  leave  you  to 
speak  with  him." 

Thiis  was  done,  and  when  the  Chief  had  answered, 
Jennie  introduced  herself  to  him. 


f 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    227 

"  I  am  Miss  Baxter,  whom  you  were  kind  enough 
to  escort  through  the  Treasury  building  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  Chief.  "  I  thought  we 
were  to  postpone  further  enquiry  until  to-morrow." 

"  Yes,  that  was  the  arrangement ;  but  I  wanted  to 
say  that  if  my  plans  are  interfered  with,  if  I  am  kept 
under  surveillance,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  with- 
draw from  the  search." 

A  few  minutes  elapsed  before  the  Chief  replied, 
and  then  it  was  with  some  hesitation. 

"  I  should  be  distressed  to  have  you  withdraw  ; 
but,  if  you  wish  to  do  so,  that  must  be  a  matter  en- 
tirely for  your  own  consideration.  I  have  my  own 
duty  to  perform,  and  I  must  carry  it  out  to  the 
best  of  my  poor  ability." 

**  Quite  so.  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  speaking  so 
plainly.  I  rather  surmised  this  afternoon  that  you 
looked  upon  my  help  in  the  light  of  an  interference." 

"  I  should  not  have  used  the  word  interference," 
continued  the  Chief ;  "  but  I  must  confess  that  I 
never  knew  good  results  to  follow  amateur  efforts, 
which  could  not  have  been  obtained  much  more 
speedily  and  effectually  by  the  regular  force  under 
my  command." 

"  Well,  the  regular  force  under  your  command 


'    1 


m 


228     JENNIE  BAXTER.  JOURNALIST. 


has  been  at  work  several  weeks  and  has  apparently 
not  accomplished  very  much.  I  have  devoted  part 
of  an  afternoon  and  evening  to  the  matter,  so  be- 
fore I  withdraw  I  should  like  to  give  you  some 
interesting  information  which  you  may  impart  to 
the  Government,  and  I  am  quite  willing  that  you 
should  take  all  the  credit  for  the  discovery,  as  I 
have  no  wish  to  appear  in  any  way  as  your  com- 
petitor.    Can  you  hear  me  distinctly  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,  madame,"  replied  the  Chief. 

"Then,  in  the  first  place,  inform  the  Govern- 
ment that  there  has  been  no  robbery." 

"  No  robbery?  What  an  absurd  statement,  if 
you  will  excuse  me  speaking  so  abruptly  !  Where 
is  the  gold  if  there  was  no  robb.ry  ?" 

"I  am  coming  to  that.  Next  inform  the  Gov- 
ernment that  their  loss  will  be  but  trifling.  That 
heap  of  debris  which  you  propose  to  cart  away 
contains  practically  the  whole  of  the  missing  two 
hundred  million  florins.  More  than  one-third  of 
the  heap  is  pure  gold.  If  you  want  to  do  a  favour 
to  a  good  friend  of  yours,  and  at  the  same  time 
confer  a  benefit  upon  the  Government  itself,  you 
will  advise  the  Government  to  secure  the  services 
of  Herr  Feltz,  so  that  the  gold  may  be  extracted 
from  the  rubbish  completely  and  effectually.     I  put 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    229 


in  a  word  for  Herr  Feltz,  because  I  am  convinced 
that  he  is  a  most  competent  inan.  To-night  his 
action  saved  you  from  dismissal  to-morrow,  there- 
fore you  should  be  grateful  to  him.  And  now  I 
have  the  honour  to  wish  you  good-night." 

"  Wait — wait  a  moment !  "  came  in  beseeching 
tones  through  the  telephone.  "  My  dear  young 
lady,  pray  pardon  any  fault  you  have  to  find  with 
me,  and  remain  for  a  moment  or  two  longer.  Who, 
then,  caused  the  explosion,  and  why  was  it  accom- 
plished?" 

"  That  I  must  leave  for  you  to  find  out,  Herr 
Director.  You  see,  I  am  giving  you  the  results  of 
merely  a  few  hours'  enquiry,  and  you  cannot  expect 
me  to  discover  everything  in  that  time.  I  don't 
know  ho ,.'  the  explosion  was  caused,  neither  do  I 
know  who  the  criminals  are  or  were.  It  would  pro- 
bably take  me  all  day  to-morrow  to  find  that  out ; 
but  as  I  am  leaving  the  discovery  in  such  compe- 
tent hands  as  yours,  I  must  curb  my  impatience 
until  you  send  me  full  particulars.  So  once  again, 
good-night,  Herr  Director." 

"  No,  no,  don't  go  yet.  I  shall  come  at  once  to 
the  station,  if  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  stop  there 
until  I  arrive." 

"  The  Princess  von  Steinheimer  is  waiting  for  me 


I 


1      i 


!'  il; 


230     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

in  her  carriage  outside,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  delay 
her  any  longer." 

"  Then  let  me  implore  you  not  to  give  up  your 
researches." 

"  Why  ?  A'nateur  efforts  are  so  futile,  you 
know,  when  compared  with  the  labours  of  the  reg- 
ular force." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  young  lady,  you  must  pardon  an 
old  man  for  what  he  said  in  a  thoughtless  moment. 
If  you  knew  how  many  useless  amateurs  meddle  in 
our  very  difficult  business  you  would  excuse  me. 
Are  you  quite  convinced  of  what  you  have  told  me, 
that  the  gold  is  in  the  rubbish  heap  ?  " 

"  Perfectly.  I  will  leave  for  you  at  the  office  here 
the  analysis  made  by  Herr  Feltz,  and  if  I  can  assist 
you  further,  it  mast  be  on  the  distinct  understand- 
ing that  you  are  not  to  interfere  again  with  what- 
ever I  may  do.  Your  conduct  in  going  to  Herr 
Feltz  to-night  after  you  had  left  me,  and  command- 
ing him  not  to  give  me  any  information,  I  should 
hesitate  to  characterise  by  its  right  name.  When  I 
have  anything  further  to  communicate,  I  will  send 
for  you." 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  shall  hold  myself  always  at  your 
command." 

This  telephonic    interview  being    happily  con- 


«r\ 


!   I 


JENNIE  AND  CHIEF  OF  POLICE.    231 

eluded,  Jennie  hurried  to  the  Princess,  stopping  on 
her  way  to  give  the  paper  containing  the  analysis 
to  the  official  in  charge,  and  telling  him  to  hand  it 
to  the  Director  when  he  returned  to  his  desk. 
This  done,  she  passed  out  into  the  night,  with  the 
comfortable  consciousness  that  the  worries  of  a  busy 
day  had  not  been  without  their  compensation. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


1     H      : 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  MODERN   WIZARD    IN  HIS    MAGIC 

ATTIC. 

When  Jennie  entered  the  carriage  in  which  her 
friend  was  waiting,  the  other  cried,  "Well,  have 
you  seen  him  ?  "  apparently  meaning  the  Director 
of  Police. 

"  No,  I  did  not  see  him,  but  I  talked  with  him 
over  the  telephone,  I  wish  you  could  have  heard 
our  conversation  ;  it  was  the  funniest  interview  I 
ever  took  part  in.  Two  or  three  times  I  had  to 
shut  off  the  instrument,  fearing  the  Director  would 
hear  me  laugh.  I  am  afraid  that  before  this  busi- 
ness is  ended  you  will  be  very  sorry  I  am  a  guest 
at  your  house.  I  know  I  shall  end  by  getting 
myself  into  an  Austrian  prison.  Just  think  of  it ! 
Here  have  I  been  holding  up  the  Chief  of  Police, 
in  this  Imperial  city  as  if  I  were  a  wild  western 
brigand.  I  have  been  terrorising  the  man,  brow- 
beating him,  threatening  him,  and  he  the  person 
who  has  the  liberty  of  ill  Vienna  in   his   hands; 


! 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


233 


who  can  have  me  dragged  off  to  a  dungeon-cell 
any  time  he  likes  to  give  the  order." 

"  Not  from  the  Palace  Steinheimer,"  said  the 
Princess,  with  decision. 

"  Well,  he  might  hesitate  about  that ;  yet,  never- 
theless, it  is  too  funny  to  think  that  a  mere  news- 
paper woman,  coming  into  a  city  which  contains 
only  one  or  two  of  her  friends,  should  dare  to  talk 
to  the  Chief  of  Police  as  I  have  done  to-night,  and 
force  him  actually  to  beg  that  I  shall  remain  in 
the  city  and  continue  to  assist  him." 

"Tell  me  what  you  said,"  said  the  Princess, 
eagerly;  and  Jennie  related  all  that  had  passed 
between  them  over  the  telephone. 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  say  calmly  that  you  are 
going  to  give  that  man  the  right  to  use  the 
astounding  information  you  have  acquired,  and 
allow  him  to  accept  complacently  all  the  kudos  that 
such  a  discovery  entitles  you  to  ?  " 

"  Why,  certainly,"  replied  Jennie.  "  What  good 
is  the  kudos  to  me  ?  All  the  credit  I  desire  I  get  in 
the  office  of  the  Daily  Bugle  in  London." 

"  But,  you  silly  girl,  holding  such  a  secret  as  you 
held,  you  could  have  made  your  fortune,"  insisted 
the  practical  Princess,  for  the  principles  which  had 
been    instilled    into  her  during  a  youth  spent    in 


234     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Chicago  had  not  been  entirely  eradicated  by  res- 
idence in  Vienna.  "  If  you  had  gone  to  the  Gov- 
ernment and  said,  *  Hew  much  will  yo'i  give  me 
if  I  restore  to  you  '.he  m'ssing  gold  ?  '  just  imagine 
what  their  answer  would  be." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  there  was  money  in  the  scheme 
if  it  had  really  been  a  secret.  But  you  forget  that 
to-morrow  morning  the  Chief  of  Police  would  have 
known  as  much  as  he  knows  to-night.  Of  course, 
if  I  had  gone  alone  to  the  Treasury  vault  and  kept 
my  diixovery  to  mj'^self,  I  might,  perhaps,  have  '  held 
up '  the  Government  of  Austria-Hungary  as  suc- 
cessfully as  I  *  held  up '  the  Chief  of  Police  to-night. 
But  with  the  Director  watching  everything  I  did, 
and  going  with  me  to  the  chemist,  there  was  no 
possibility  of  keeping  the  matter  a  secret." 

"  Well,  Jennie,  all  I  can  say  is  that  you  are  a 
very  foolish  girl.  Here  you  are,  working  hard,  as 
you  said  in  one  of  your  letters,  merely  to  make  a 
living,  and  now,  with  the  greatest  nonchalance, 
you  allow  a  fortune  to  slip  through  your  fingers. 
I  am  simply  not  going  to  allow  this.  I  shall  tell 
my  husband  all  that  has  happened,  and  he  will 
make  the  Government  treat  you  honestly,  if  not  gen- 
erously. I  assure  you,  Jennie,  that  Lord  Donal — 
no,  I  won't  mention  his  name,  since  you  protest  so 


■m 

V.  f'     if 


/, 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


235 


strenuously — but  the  future  young  man,  whoever  he 
is,  will  not  think  the  less  of  you  because  you  come 
to  him  with  a  handsome  dowry.  But  here  we  are 
at  home ;  and  I  won't  say  another  word  on  the  sub- 
ject if  it  annoys  you." 

When  Jennie  reached  her  delightful  apartments 
— which  looked  even  more  luxuriously  comfortable 
bathed  in  the  soft  radiance  that  now  flooded  them 
from  quiet-toned  shaded  lamps  than  they  did  in  the 
more  garish  light  of  day — she  walked  up  and  down 
her  sitting-room  in  deep  meditation.  She  was  in 
a  quandary — whether  or  not  to  risk  sending  a  coded 
telegram  to  her  paper  was  the  question  that  pre- 
sented itself  to  her.  If  she  were  sure  that  no  one 
else  would  learn  the  news,  she  would  prefer  to  wait 
until  she  had  further  particulars  of  the  Treasury  ca- 
tastrophe. A  good  deal  would  depend  on  whether 
or  not  the  Director  of  Police  took  anyone  into  his 
confidence  that  night.  If  he  did  not,  he  would  be 
aware  that  only  he  and  the  girl  possessed  this 
important  piece  of  news.  If  a  full  account  of  the 
discovery  appeared  in  the  next  morning's  Daily 
Bugle,  then,  when  that  paper  arrived  in  Vienna, 
or  even  before,  if  a  synopsis  were  telegraphed  to 
the  Government,  as  it  was  morally  certain  to  be, 
the  Director  would  know  at  once  that  she  was  the 


M 


mi 


236     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


Ktffll 


correspondent  of  the  newspaper  whom  he  was 
so  anxious  to  frighten  out  of  "^''ienna.  On  the 
other  hand,  her  friendship  with  the  Princess 
von  Steinheimer  gave  her  such  influence  with 
the  Chiefs  superiors,  that,  after  the  lesson  she 
had  taught  him,  he  might  hesitate  to  make  any 
move  against  her.  Then  again,  the  news  that 
to-night  belonged  to  two  persons  might  on  the 
morrow  come  to  the  knowledge  of  all  the  cor- 
respondents in  Vienna,  and  her  efforts,  so  far  as 
the  Bugle  was  concerned,  would  have  been  in  vain. 
This  consideration  decided  the  girl,  and,  casting 
off  all  sign  of  hesitation,  she  sat  down  at  her 
writing  table  and  began  the  first  chapter  of  the 
solution  of  the  Vienna  mystery.  Her  opening 
sentence  was  exceedingly  diplomatic  :  "  The  Chief 
of  Police  of  Vienna  has  made  a  most  startling  dis- 
covery." Beginning  thus,  she  went  on  to  details 
of  the  discovery  she  had  that  day  made.  When 
her  account  was  finished  and  codified,  she  went 
down  to  her  hostess  and  said, — 

"  Princess,  I  want  a  trustworthy  man,  who  will 
take  a  long  telegram  to  the  central  telegraph  office, 
pay  for  it,  and  come  away  quickly  before  anyone 
can  ask  him  inconvenient  questions." 

"  Would  it  not  be  better  to  call  a  Dienstmanner  ?  " 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


237 


"  ADicnstmanner?  That  is  your  commissionaire, 
or  telegraph  messenger  ?  No,  I  think  not.  They 
are  all  numbered  and  can  be  traced." 

"  Oh,  I  know  !  "  cried  the  Princess ;  "  I  will  send 
our  coachman.  He  will  be  out  of  his  livery  now, 
and  he  is  a  most  reliable  man  ;  he  will  not  answer 
inconvenient  questions,  or  any  others,  even  if  they 
are  asked." 

To  her  telegram  for  publication  Jennie  had  added 
a  private  despatch  to  the  editor,  stating  that  it 
would  be  rather  inconvenient  for  her  if  he  pub- 
lished the  account  next  morn'ng,  but  she  left  the  de- 
cision entirely  with  him.  H:re  was  the  news,  and 
if  he  thought  it  worth  the  isk,  he  might  hold  it 
over ;  if  not,  he  was  to  pntit  it  regardless  of  con- 
sequences. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  editor,  with'  fear  and 
trembling,  held  the  news  for  a  day,  so  that  he  might 
not  embarrass  his  fair  representative,  but  so  anxious 
was  he,  that  he  sat  up  all  night  until  the  other 
papers  were  out,  and  he  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  when, 
on  glancing  over  them,  he  found  that  not  one  of 
them  contained  an  inkling  of  the  information  locked 
up  in  his  desk.  And  so  he  dropped  off  to  sleep 
when  the  day  was  breaking.  Next  night  he  had 
nearly   as  much   anxiety,  for  although  the  Bugle 


f 


t  :i' 


238     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

'1 

would  contain  the  news,  other  papers  might  have  it 
as  wel',  and  thus  for  the  second  time  he  waited  in 
his  ofvice  until  the  other  sheets,  wet  from  the  press, 
were  brought  to  him.  Again  fortune  favoured  him, 
and  the  triumph  belonged  to  the  Bugle  alone. 

The  morning  after  her  interview  with  the  Director 
of  Police,  Jennie,  taking  a  small  hand-satchel,  in 
whicii  she  placed  the  various  bottles  containing  the 
different  dusts  which  the  chemist  had  separated,  went 
abroad  alone,  and  hailing  a  fiacre,  gave  the  driver  the 
address  of  Professor  Carl  Seigfried.  The  carriage 
of  the  Princess  was  always  at  the  disposal  of  the 
girl,  but  on  this  occasion  she  did  not  wish  to  be 
embarrassed  with  so  pretentious  an  equipage.  The 
cab  took  her  into  a  street  lined  with  tall  edifices 
and  left  her  at  the  number  she  had  given  the  driver. 
The  building  seemed  to  be  one  let  out  in  flats  and 
tenements ;  she  mounted  stair  after  stair,  and  only  at 
the  very  top  did  she  see  the  Professor's  name  painted 
on  a  door.  Here  she  rapped  several  times  without 
any  attention  being  paid  to  her  summons,  but  at 
last  the  door  was  opened  partially  by  a  man  whom 
she  took,  quite  accurately,  to  be  the  Professor  him- 
self. His  head  was  white,  and  his  face  deeply 
wrinkled.  He  glared  at  her  through  his  glasses, 
and  said  sharply,  "Young  lady,  you  have  made  a 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD.  239 

mistake  ;  these  are  the   rooms  of    Professor  Carl 
Seigfried." 

"  It  is  Professor  Carl  Seigfried  that  I  wish  to  see," 
replied  the  girl  hurriedly,  as  the  old  man  was  pre- 
paring to  shut  the  door. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  want  some  information  from  him  about  explo- 
sives. I  have  been  told  that  he  knows  more  about 
explosive--  than  any  other  man  living." 

"  Quite  right— he  does.     What  then  ?  " 

"  An  explosion  has  taken  place  producing  the 
most  remarkable  results.  They  say  that  neither  dy- 
namite nor  any  other  force  could  have  had  such  an 
effect  on  metals  and  minerals  as  this  power  has  had." 

"  Ah,  dynamite  is  a  toy  for  children !  "  cried  the 
old  man,  opening  the  door  a  little  further  and 
exhibiting  an  interest  which  had  up  to  that  moment 
been  absent  from  his  manner.  "  Well,  where  did 
this  explosion  take  place  ?  Do  you  wish  me  to  go 
and  see  it?  " 

"  Perhaps  so,  later  on.  At  present  I  wish  to  show 
you  some  of  its  effects,  but  I  don't  propose  to  do 
this  standing  here  in  the  passage-way." 

"Quite  right — quite  right,"  hastily  ejaculated  the 
old  scientist,  throwing  the  door  wide  open.  "  Of 
course,  I  am  not  accustomed  to  visits  from  fashion- 


240    JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

able  young  ladies,  and  I  thought  at  first  there  had 
been  a  mistake ;  but  if  you  have  any  real  scientific 
problem,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  give  my  attention 
to  it.  What  may  appear  very  extraordinary  to  the 
lay  mind  will  doubtless  prove  fully  explainable  by 
scientists.     Come  in,  come  in." 

The  old  man  shut  the  door  behind  her,  and  led 
her  along  a  dark  passage  into  a  large  apartment, 
whose  ceiling  was  the  roof  of  the  building.  At  first 
sight  it  seemed  in  amazing  disorder.  Huge  as  it 
was,  it  was  cluttered  with  curious  shaped  machines 
and  instruments.  A  twisted  conglomeration  of 
glass  tubing,  bent  into  fantastic  tangles,  stood  on  a 
central  table,  and  had  evidently  been  occupying  the 
Professor's  attention  at  the  time  he  was  interrupted. 
The  place  was  lined  with  shelving,  where  the  walls 
were  not  occupied  by  cupboards,  and  every  shelf 
was  burdened  with  bottles  and  apparatus  of  different 
kinds.  Whatever  care  Professor  Seigfried  took  of 
his  apparatus,  he  seemed  to  have  little  for  his  furni- 
ture. There  was  hardly  a  decent  chair  in  the  room, 
except  one  deep  arm-chair,  covered  with  a  tiger's 
skin,  in  which  the  Professor  evidently  took  his  ease 
while  meditating,  or  watching  the  progress  of  an 
experiment.  This  chair  he  did  not  offer  to  the 
young  lady ;  in  fact,  he  did  not  offer  her  a  seat  at 


f 


!  I 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


241 


all,  but  sank  down  on  the  tiger's  skin  himself,  placed 
the  tips  of  his  fingers  together,  and  glared  at  her 
through  his  glittering  glasses. 

"  Now,  young  woman,"  he  said,  abruptly,  "  what 
have  you  brought  for  me?  Don't  begin  to  chatter, 
for  my  time  is  valuablco  Show  me  what  you  have 
bi  ought,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it ;  and  most 
likely  a  very  simple  thing  it  is„" 

Jennie,  interested  in  so  rude  a  man,  smiled,  drew 
up  the  least  decrepit  bench  she  could  find,  and  sat 
down,  in  spite  of  the  angry  mutterings  of  her  irri- 
tated host.  Then  she  opened  her  satchel,  took  out 
the  small  bottle  of  gold,  and  handed  it  to  him  with- 
out a  word.  The  old  man  received  it  somewhat 
contemptuously^  shook  it  backward  and  forward 
without  extracting  the  cork,  adjusted  his  glasses, 
then  suddenly  seemed  to  take  a  nervous  interest  in 
the  material  presented  to  him.,  He  rose  and  went 
nearer  the  light.  Drawing  out  the  cork  with  trem- 
bling hands,  he  poured  some  of  the  contents  into 
his  open  palm.  The  result  was  startling  enough. 
The  old  man  flung  up  his  hands,  letting  the  vial 
crash  into  a  thousand  pieces  on  the  floor.  He  stag- 
gered forward,  shrieking,  "  Ah,  mein  Gott — mein 
Gott ! " 

Then,  to  the  consternation  of  Jennie,  who  had 


/ 


242     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

already  risen  in  terror  from  her  chair,  the  Professor 
plunged  forward  on  his  face.  The  girl  had  difficulty 
in  repressing  a  shriek.  She  looked  round  hurriedly 
for  a  bell  to  ring,  but  there  apparently  was  none. 
She  tried  to  open  the  door  and  cry  for  help,  but  in 
her  excitement  could  find  neither  handle  nor  latch. 
It  seemed  to  be  locked,  and  the  key,  doubtless,  was 
in  the  Professor's  pocket.  She  thought  at  fi  rst  that 
he  had  dropped  dead,  but  the  continued  moaning 
as  he  lay  on  the  floor  convinced  her  of  her  error. 
She  bent  over  him  anxiously,  and  cried,  "  What 
can  I  do  to  help  you  ?  " 

With  a  struggle  he  muttered,  "The  bottle — 
the  bottle — in  the  cupboard  behind  you." 

She  hurriedly  flung  open  the  doors  of  the  cup- 
board indicated,  and  found  a  bottle  of  brandy,  and 
a  glass,  which  she  partly  filled.  The  old  man  had 
with  an  effort  struggled  into  a  sitting  posture,  and 
she  held  the  glass  of  fiery  liquid  to  his  pallid  lips. 
He  gulped  down  the  brandy,  and  gasped,  "  I  feel 
better  now.     Help  me  to  my  chair." 

Assisting  him  to  his  feet,  she  supported  him  to 
his  arm-chair,  when  he  shook  himself  free,  crying 
angrily,  "  Let  me  alone !  Don't  you  see  I  am  all 
right  again  ?  " 

The  girl  stood  aside,  and  the  Professor  dropped 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


243 


into  his  chair,  his  nervous  hands  vibrating  on  his 
knees.  For  a  long  interval  nothing  was  said  by 
either,  and  the  girl  at  last  seated  herself  on 
the  bench  she  had  formerly  occupied.  The  next 
words  the  old  man  spoke  were,  "  Who  sent  you 
here?" 

"  No  one  ;  I  came  of  my  own  accord,  I  wished 
to  meet  someone  who  had  a  large  knowledge  of 
explosives,  and  Herr  Feltz,  the  chemist,  gave  me 
your  address." 

"  irTerr  Feltz  !  Herr  Feltz  !  "  he  repeated.  "  So 
he  sent  you  here  ?  " 

"  No  one  sent  me  here,"  insisted  the  girl.  "  It  is 
as  I  tell  you.  Herr  Feltz  merely  gave  me  your 
address." 

"  Where  did  you  get  that  powdered  gold  ?  " 

"  It  came  from  the  debris  of  an  explosion." 

"  I  know ;  you  said  that  before.  Where  was 
the  explosion  ?    Who  caused  it  ?  " 

"  That  I  don't  know." 

"  Don't  you  know  where  the  explosion  was  ?  '* 

"Yes,  I  know  where  the  explosion  was,  but  I 
don't  know  who  caused  it." 

"  Who  sent  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you  no  one  sent  me  here." 

"  That  is  not  true :  the  man  who  caused  the  ex- 


|i 

|i  Sin* 


SI 

(I 


/ 


244     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

plosion  sent  you  here.  You  are  his  minion.  What 
do  you  expect  to  find  out  from  me  ?  " 

"  I  expect  to  learn  what  explosive  was  used  to 
produce  the  result  that  seemed  to  have  such  a  re- 
markable effect  on  you." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that  ?  It  had  no  effect  on  me. 
My  heart  is  weak.  I  am  subject  to  such  attacks, 
and  I  ward  them  off  with  brandy.  Some  day  they 
will  kill  me.  Then  you  won't  learn  any  secrets 
from  a  dead  man,  will  you  ?  " 

"  I  hope,  Professor  Seigfried,  that  you  have  many 
years  yet  to  live,  and  I  must  further  add  that  I  did 
not  expect  such  a  reception  as  I  have  received 
from  a  man  of  science,  as  I  was  told  you  were.  If 
you  have  no  information  to  give  to  me — very  well, 
that  ends  it ;  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  say  so." 

"  Who  sent  you  here  ?  " 

"  No  one,  as  I  have  repeated  once  or  twice.  If 
anyone  had,  I  would  give  him  my  opin'cn  of  the 
errand  when  I  got  back.  You  refuse  then  to  tell 
me  anything  about  the  explosive  that  powdered 
the  gold  ?  "  \ 

"Refuse?  Of  course  I  refuse!  What  did  you 
expect?  I  suppose  the  man  who  sent  you  here 
thought,  because  you  were  an  engaging  young 
woman  and  I  an  old  dotard,  I  would  gabble  to  you 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


245 


thi.  results  of  a  life's  work.  Oh,  no,  no,  no ;  but  I 
am  not  an  old  dotard.  I  have  many  years  to  live 
yet." 

"  I  hope  so.  Well,  I  must  bid  you  good-morning. 
I  shall  go  to  someone  else." 

The  old  man  showed  his  teeth  in  a  forbidding  grin. 

"  It  is  useless.  Your  bottle  is  broken,  and  the 
material  it  contained  is  dissipated.  Not  a  trace  of 
it  is  left." 

He  waved  his  thin  emaciated  hand  in  the  air  as 
he  spoke. 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  matter  in  the  least,"  said  Jen- 
nie. "  I  have  several  other  bottles  here  in  my  sat- 
chel." 

The  Professor  placed  his  hands  on  the  arms  of 
his  chair,  and  slowly  raised  himself  to  his  feet. 

"You  have  others,"  he  cried,  "other  bottles? 
Let  me  see  them — let  me  see  them  ! " 

"  No,"  replied  Jennie,  "  I  won't." 

With  a  speed  which,  after  his  recent  collapse, 
Jennie  had  not  expected,  the  Professor  ambled 
round  to  the  door  and  placed  his  back  against  it. 
The  glasses  over  his  eyes  seemed  to  sparkle  as  if 
with  fire.  His  talon-like  fingers  crooked  rigidly. 
He  breathed  rapidly,  and  was  evidently  labouring 
under  tense  excitement. 


imi   ^^i 


mi 


246     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Who  knows  you  came  to  see  me  ?  "  he  whis- 
per: d  hoarsely,  glaring  at  her. 

j '  nnie,  having  arisen,  stood  t\  v  re,  snrioothing 
d-jWii  her  perfectly  fitting  glove,  aad  r.nswered  with 
a  calmiiv;.  s  she  was  far  from  feelin^T^ — 

"  Who  knows  I  am  here  ?  No  one  but  the  Direc- 
tor of  Police." 

"  Oh,  the  Director  of  Police!"  echoed  the  Pro- 
fessor,  quite  palpably  abashed  by  the  unexpected 
answer.  The  rigidity  of  his  attitude  relaxed,  and 
he  became  once  more  the  old  man  he  had  appeared 
as  he  sat  in  a  heap  in  his  chair.  "  You  will  excuse 
me,"  he  muttered,  edging  round  towards  the  chair 
again ;  "  I  was  excited." 

"  I  noticed  that  you  were,  Professor.  But  before 
you  sit  down  again,  please  unlock  that  door." 

"Why?"  he  asked,  pausing  on  his  way  to  the 
chair. 

"  Because  I  wish  it  open." 

"  And  I,"  he  said,  in  a  higher  tone,  "  wish  it  to 
remain  locked  until  we  have  come  to  some  under- 
standing. I  can't  let  you  go  out  now ;  but  I  shall 
permit  you  to  go  unmolested  as  soon  as  you  have 
made  some  explanation  to  me." 

"  If  you  do  not  unlock  the  door  immediately  I 
shall  take  this  machine  and  fling  it  through  the 


I 


/ 


liil:.  I  I 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD.  247 

front  window  out  on  the  street.  The  crashing 
glass  on  the  pavement  will  soon  bring  someone  to 
my  rescue,  Professor,  and,  as  I  have  a  voice  cf  my 
own  and  small  hesitation  about  shouting,  I  shall 
have  little  difficulty  in  directing  the  strangers  where 
to  come." 

As  Jennie  spoke  she  moved  swiftly  tvwc.s  the 
table  on  which  stood  the  strange  ag:,^fga.  n  of 
reflectors  and  bent  glass  tubing. 

"  No,  no,  no  !  "  screamed  the  Professoi,  spiinging 
between  her  and  the  table.  "ToucI  r-yching  but 
that — anything  but  that.  Do  not  disturb  it  an 
inch — there  is  danger — death  not  only  to  you  and 
me,  but  perhaps  to  the  whole  city.  Keep  away 
from  it !  " 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  Jennie,  stepping  back  in 
spite  of  her  endeavour  to  maintain  her  self-control ; 
"open  the  door.  Open  both  doors  and  leave  them 
so.  After  that,  if  you  remain  seated  in  your  chair, 
I  shall  not  touch  the  machine,  nor  shall  I  leave 
until  I  make  the  explanations  you  require,  and 
you  have  answered  some  questions  that  I  shall  ask. 
But  I  must  have  a  clear  way  to  the  stair,  in  case 
you  should  become  excited  again." 

"  I'll  unlock  the  doors ;  I'll  unlock  both  doors," 
replied  the  old  man  tremulously,  fumbling  about  in 


248     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

his  pockets  for  his  keys.  "  But  keep  away  from 
that  machine,  unless  you  want  to  bring  swift  de- 
struction on  us  all."  ' 

With  an  eagerness  that  retarded  his  speed,  the 
Professor,  constantly  looking  over  his  shoulder  at 
his  visitor,  unlocked  the  first  door,  then  hastily  he 
flung  open  the  second,  and  tottered  back  to  his 
chair,  where  he  collapsed  on  the  tiger  skin,  trem- 
bling and  exhausted.  ^ 

"  We  may  be  overheard,"  he  whined.  "  One  can 
never  tell  who  may  sneak  quietly  up  the  stair.  I 
am  surrounded  by  spies  trying  to  find  out  what  I 
am  doing." 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  Jennie, 

She  went  quickly  to  the  outer  door,  found  that  it 
closed  with  a  spring  latch,  opened  and  shut  it  two 
or  three  times  until  she  was  perfectly  familiar  with 
its  workings,  then  she  closed  it,  drew  the  inner 
door  nearly  shut,  and  sat  down. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  we  are  quite  safe  from  inter- 
ruption. Professor  Seigfried ;  but  I  must  request 
you  not  to  move  from  your  chair." 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  doing  so,"  murmured  the 
old  man.  "  Who  sent  you  ?  You  said  you  would 
tell  me.     I  think  you  owe  me  an  explanation." 

"  I  think  you  owe  me  one,"  repliftd  the  girl.     "  As 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD,  249 

I  told  you  before,  no  one  sent  me.  I  came  here 
entirely  of  my  own  accord,  and  I  shall  endeavour 
to  make  clear  to  you  exactly  why  I  came.  Some 
time  ago  there  occurred  in  this  city  a  terrific  ex- 
plosion  " 

"Where?  When?"  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
placing  his  hands  on  the  arms  of  his  chair,  as  if  he 
would  rise  to  his  feet. 

"  Sit  where  you  are,"  commanded  Jennie,  firmly, 
"  and  I  shall  tell  you  all  I  can  about  it.  The 
Government,  for  reasons  of  its  own,  desires  to  keep 
the  fact  of  this  explosion  a  secret,  and  thus  very 
few  people  outside  of  official  circles  know  anything 
about  it.  I  3'-"  trying  to  discover  the  cause  of  that 
disaster." 

"  Are  you — are  you  working  on  behalf  of  the 
Government  ? "  asked  the  old  man  eagerly,  a 
tremour  of  fear  I.i  his  quavering  voice. 

"  No.  I  am  conducting  my  investigations  quite 
independently  of  the  Government." 

"But  why?  But  why?  That  is  what  I  don't 
understand." 

"  I  would  very  much  rather  not  answer  that 
question." 

"  But  that  question — everything  is  involved  in 
that  question.     I   nmst  knoAv   why  you  are  here, 


M 


ill 


•J:!- 


W,' 


nil 


ill 


250     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

If  you  are  not  in  the  employ  of  the  Government,  in 
whose  employ  are  you  ?  " 

"If  I  tell  you,"  said  Jennie,  with  some  hesitation, 
"  will  you  keep  what  I  say  a  secret?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  yes  !  "  cried  the  scientist,  impatiently. 

'*  Well,  I  am  in  the  service  of  a  London  daily 
newspaper." 

"  1  see,  I  see ;  and  they  have  sent  you  here  to 
publish  broadcast  over  the  world  all  you  can  find 
out  of  my  doings.  I  knew  you  were  a  spy  the 
moment  I  saw  you.  I  should  never  have  let  you 
in." 

"  My  dear  sir,  the  London  paper  is  not  even 
aware  of  your  existence.  They  have  not  sent  me 
to  you  at  all.  They  have  sent  me  to  learn,  if  pos- 
sible, the  cause  of  the  explosion  I  spoke  of.  I  took 
some  of  the  dibris  to  Herr  Feltz  to  analyse  it,  and 
he  said  he  had  never  seen  gold,  iron,  feldspar,  and 
all  that,  reduced  to  such  fine,  impalpable  grains  as 
was  the  case  with  the  sample  I  left  with  him.  I 
then  asked  him  who  in  Vienna  knew  most  about 
explosives,  and  he  gave  your  address.  That  is  why 
I  am  here." 

'*  But  the  explosion— you  have  not  told  me  when 
and  where  it  occurred  !  " 

"  That,  as  I  have  said,  is  a  Government  secret." 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


251 


:nt,  in 

kation, 

iently. 
L  daily 

lere  to 
an  find 
jpy  the 
let  you 

>t  even 
sent  me 
,  if  pos- 
Itook 
e  it,  and 
par,  and 
Trains  as 
him.    I 
st  about 
it  is  why 


me 


when 


jecret. 


•'  But  you  stated  you  are  not  in  the  Government 
employ,  therefore  it  can  be  no  breach  of  confidence 
if  you  let  me  have  full  particulars." 

•'  I  suppose  not.  Very  well,  then,  the  explosion 
occurred  after  midnight,  on  the  seventeenth,  in  the 
vault  of  the  Treasury." 

The  old  man,  in  spite  of  the  prohibition,  rose  un- 
certainly to  his  feet. 

Jennie  sprang  up  and  said  menacingly,  "Stay 
where  you  are  !  " 

"  I  am  not  going  to  touch  you.  If  you  are  so 
suspicious  of  every  move  I  make,  then  go  yourself 
and  bring  me  what  I  want.  There  is  a  map  of 
Vienna  pinned  against  the  wall  yonder.  Bring  it 
to  me." 

Jennie  proceeded  in  the  direction  indicated.  It 
was  an  ordinary  map  of  the  city  of  Vienna,  and  as 
Jennio  took  it  down  she  noticed  that  across  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  a  semi-circular  line  in 
pencil  had  been  drawn.  Examining  it  more 
closely,  she  saw  that  the  stationary  part  of  the 
c .^mpass  had  been  placed  on  the  spot  where  stood 
the  building  which  contained  the  Professor's 
studio.  She  paid  closer  attention  to  the  pencil 
mark  and  observed  that  it  passed  through  the 
Treasury  building. 


252     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


I*3l 


"  Don't  look  at  that  map !  "  shrieked  the  Pro- 
fessor, beating  the  air  with  his  hands.  "  I  asked 
you  to  bring  it  to  me.  Can't  you  do  a  simple  ac- 
tion like  that  without  spying  about  ?  " 

Jennie  rapidly  unfastened  the  paper  from 
the  wall  and  brought  it  to  him.  The  scientist 
scrutinised  it  closely,  adjusting  his  glasses  the 
better  to  see,  then  deliberately  tore  the  map 
into  fragments,  numerous  and  minute.  He  rose — 
and  this  time  Jennie  made  no  protest — went  to  the 
window,  opened  it,  and  flung  the  fluttering  bits  of 
paper  out  into  the  air,  the  strong  wind  carrying 
them  far  over  the  roofs  of  Vienna.  Closing  the 
casement,  he  came  back  to  his  chair. 

"Was — was  anyone  hurt  at  this  explosion?"  he 
asked,  presently. 

"  Yes ;  four  men  were  killed  instantly,  a  dozen 
were  seriously  injured  and  are  now  in  the  hospital." 

*•  Oh,  my  God— my  God !  "  cried  the  old  man, 
covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  swaying  from  side 
to  side  in  his  chair  like  a  man  tortured  with  agony 
and  remorse.  At  last  he  lifted  a  face  that  had 
grown  more  pinched  and  yellow  within  the  last  few 
minutes. 

"  I  can  tell  you  nothing,"  he  said,  moistening  his 
parched  lips. 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


253 


"  You  mean  that  you  will  tell  me  nothing,  for  I 
see  plainly  that  you  know  everything." 

"  I  knew  nothing  of  any  explosion  until  you 
spoke  of  it.  What  have  I  to  do  v/ith  the  Treasury 
or  the  Government  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  know." 

"  It  is  absurd.  I  am  no  conspirator,  but  a  scien- 
tist." 

"  Then  you  have  nothing  to  fear,  Herr  Seigfried. 
If  you  are  innocent,  why  are  you  so  loth  to  give  me 
any  assistance  in  this  matter?" 

"  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  me.  I  am  a  scientist — 
I  am  a  scientist.  All  I  wish  is  to  be  left  alone  with  my 
studies.  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  governments 
or  newspapers,  or  anything  belonging  to  them." 

Jennie  sat  tracing  a  pattern  on  the  dusty  floor 
with  the  point  of  her  parasol.  She  spoke  very 
quietly  : — 

'*  The  pencilled  line  which  you  drew  on  the  map 
of  Vienna  passed  through  the  Treasury  building  ; 
the  centre  of  the  circle  was  this  garret.  Why  did 
you  draw  that  pencilled  semi-circle?  Why  were 
you  anxious  that  I  should  not  see  you  had  done  so  ? 
Why  did  you  destroy  the  map  ?  " 

Professor  Seigfried  sat  there  looking  at  her  with 
dropped  jaw,  but  he  made  no  reply. 


1:  * 


|i        H 


m 

M 


254     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  If  you  will  excuse  my  saying  so,"  the  girl  went 
on,  *'  you  are  acting  very  childishly.  It  is  evident  to 
mt:  that  you  are  no  criminal,  yet  if  the  Director  of 
Police  had  been  in  my  place  he  would  have  arrested 
you  long  ago,  and  that  merely  because  of  your 
own  foolish  actions." 

"  The  map  proved  nothing,"  he  said  at  last,  halt- 
ingly, "  and  besides,  both  you  and  the  Director  will 
now  have  some  difficulty  in  finding  it." 

"  That  is  further  proof  of  your  folly.  The  Direc- 
tor doesn't  need  to  find  it.  I  am  here  to  testify 
that  I  saw  the  map,  saw  the  curved  line  passing 
through  the  Treasury,  and  saw  you  destroy  what 
you  thought  was  an  incriminating  piece  of  evidence. 
It  would  be  much  better  if  you  would  deal  as 
frankly  with  me  as  I  have  done  v/ith  you.  Then  I 
shall  give  you  the  best  advice  I  can — if  my  advice 
will  be  of  any  assistance  to  you." 

"  Yes,  and  publish  it  to  all  the  world  !  " 

"  It  will  have  to  be  published  to  all  the  world  in 

any  case,  for,  if  I  leave  here  without  full  knowledge, 

I  will  simply  go  to  the  police  office  and  there  tell 

what  I  have  learned  in  this  room." 

-" — '^-A:nd   if   I    do   speak,   you   will  still  go  to  the 


Director  of  the  Police  and  tell  him  what  you  have 
discovered ! " 


r 


•1  went 
ient  to 
ctor  of 
rrested 
i  your 

st,  halt- 
tor  will 

e  Direc- 
3  testify 
passing 
jy  what 
vidence. 
deal  as 
Then  I 
y  advice 


world  in 
owledge, 
:here  tell 

o  to  the 
you  have 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD.  255 

"  No,  I  give  you  my  word  that  I  will  not ! " 
"  What  guarantee  have  I  of  that  ?  "  asked  the  old 
man,  suspiciously. 

"  No  guarantee  at  all  except  my  word !  " 
"Will  you  promise  not  to  print  in  your  paper 
what  I  tell  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  cannot  promise  that ! " 
"  Still,  the  newspaper  doesn't  matter,"  continued 
the  scientist.  "  The  story  would  be  valueless  to 
you,  because  no  one  would  believe  it.  There  is 
little  use  in  printing  a  story  in  a  newspaper  that 
will  be  laughed  at,  is  there?  However,  I  think  you 
are  honest,  otherwise  you  would  have  promised  not 
to  print  a  line  of  what  I  tell  you,  and  then  I  should 
have  known  that  you  were  lying.  It  was  as  easy  to 
promise  that  as  to  say  you  would  not  tell  the  Direc- 
tor of  Police.  I  thought  at  first  some  scientific 
rival  had  sent  you  here  to  play  the  spy  on  me,  and 
learn  what  I  was  doing.  I  assure  you,  I  heard 
nothing  about  the  explosion  you  speak  of,  yet  I 
was  certain  it  had  occurred  somewhere  along  that 
line  which  I  drew  on  the  map.  I  had  hoped  it  was 
not  serious,  and  begun  to  believe  it  was  not.  The 
anxiety  of  the  last  month  has  nearly  driven  me  in- 
sane, and,  as  you  say  quite  truly,  my  actions  have 
been  childish." 


0 


•      'i 


256     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

The  old  man  in  his  excitement  had  risen  from  his 
chair  and  was  new  pacing  up  and  down  the  room, 
running  his  fingers  distractedly  through  his  long 
white  hair,  and  talking  more  to  himself  than  to  his 
auditor. 

Jennie  had  edged  her  chair  nearer  to  the  door, 
and  had  made  no  protest  against  his  rising,  fearing 
to  interrupt  his  flow  of  talk  and  again  arouse  his 
suspicions. 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  protect  my  inventions.  I  have 
never  taken  out  a  patent  in  my  life.  What  I  dis- 
cover I  give  freely  to  tlie  world,  b'  .  I  will  not  be 
robbed  of  my  reputation  as  a  i}:ientist.  I  v.  ant  my 
name  to  4  f  down  to  posterity  among  those  of  the 
great  discovtrfcrs.  You  talked  jujt  now  of  going  to 
the  police  anO  telling,  them  what  yoa  knew.  Foolish 
creature  !  You  could  no  more  have  gone  to  the 
central  police  office  without  my  permission,  or 
against  my  will,  than  you  could  go  to  the  window 
and  whistle  back  those  bits  of  paper  I  scattered  to 
the  winds.  Before  you  reach  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs  I  could  have  laid  Vienna  in  a  mass  of  ruins. 
Yes,  I  could  in  all  probability  have  blown  up  the 
entire  Empire  of  Austria.  The  truth  is,  that 
I  do  not  know  the  limit  of  my  power  nor  dare  I 
test  it," 


y 


JENNIE  ViCJTS  A  WIZARD. 


257 


1  his 
3om, 
long 

0  bis 

door, 
laring 
ie  his 

1  have 
Idis- 

not  be 
int  my 
of  the 
Ding  to 
^oolish 
to  the 
ion,  or 
vindow 
ered  to 
of  the 
ruins, 
up  the 
s,   that 
dare  I 


"Oh,  this  is  a  madman  !  "  thought  Jennie,  as  she 
edged  still  nearer  to  the  door.  The  old  man  paused 
in  his  walk  and  turned  fiercely  upon  her. 

"You  don't  believe  me?  "  he  said. 

"  No,  i  do  not,"  she  answered,  the  colour  leaving 
her  cheeks. 

The  aged  wizard  gave  utterance  to  a  hideous 
chuckle.  He  took  from  one  of  his  numeious 
shelves  a  hammer-head  without  a  handle,  and  for  a 
moment  Jennie  thought  he  was  going  to  attack  her ; 
but  he  merely  handed  the  metal  to  her  and  said. — 

"  Break  that  in  two.  Place  it  between  your 
palms  and  grind  it  to  powder." 

"You  know  that  is  absurd  ;  I  cannot  do  it.** 

"Why  can't  you  do  it?" 

"  Because  it  is  of  steel." 

"  That  is  no  reason.     Why  can't  yo     Jo  it  ?  " 

He  glared  at  her  fiercely  over  1  glasses,  and 
she  saw  in  his  wild  eye  all  the  enth  siasm  of  an  in- 
structor enlightening  a  pupil. 

"  I'll  tell  you  why  you  can't  do  '  because  every 
minute  particle  of  it  is  held  together  by  an  enor- 
mous force.  It  may  be  heated  red-hot  and  beaten 
into  this  shape  and  that,  but  still  the  force  hangs  on 
as  tenaciously  as  the  grip  of  a  giant.  Now  suppose 
I  had  some  substance,  a  drop  of  which,  placed  on 


.<•!■ 


•■^^ 


■I 


il  A/.- ■?-,;!  ))  F 


W^> 


258     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

/  that  piece  of  iron,  would  release  the  force   which 

holds  the  particles  together — what  would  happen  ?  " 

f 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Jennie. 

"  Oh,  yes  you  do ! "  cried  the  professor  impa- 
tiently ;  "  but  you  are  like  every  other  woman — 
you  won't  take  the  trouble  to  think.  What  would 
happen  is  this.  The  force  that  held  the  particles 
together  would  be  released,  and  the  hammer  would 
fall  to  powder  like  that  gold  you  showed  me.  The 
explosion  that  followed,  caused  by  the  sudden  re- 
lease of  the  power,  would  probably  wreck  this  room 
and  extinguish  both  our  lives.  You  understand 
that,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do." 

"  Well,  here  is  something  you  won't  understand, 
and  probably  won't  believe  when  you  hear  it. 
There  is  but  one  force  in  this  world  and  but  one 
particle  of  matter.  There  is  only  one  element, 
which  is  the  basis  of  everything.  All  the  different 
shapes  and  conditions  of  things  that  we  see  are 
caused  by  a  mere  variation  of  that  force  in  conjunc- 
tion with  numbers  of  that  particle.  Am  I  getting 
beyond  your  depth  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are,  professor." 

'*  Of  course  ;  I  know  what  feeble  brains  the  aver- 
age woman  is  possessed  of ;  still  try  and  keep  that 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


259 


tiich 
n?" 

mpa- 
an — 
/ould 
tides 
vould 
The 
en  re- 
room 
rstand 


rstand, 
ar    it. 
ut  one 
ement, 
fferent 
ec  are 
njunc- 
Igetting 


le  aver- 
kp  that 


in  your  mind.  Now  listen  to  this.  I  have  discov- 
ered how  to  disunite  that  force  and  that  particle.  I 
can,  with  a  touch,  fling  loose  upon  this  earth  a  giant 
whose  strength  is  irresistible  and  immeasurable." 

"  Then  why  object  to  making  your  discovery 
public  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  because  there  are  still  a  thous- 
and things  and  more  to  be  learned  along  such  a  line 
of  investigation.  The  moment  a  man  announces 
his  discoveries,  he  first  is  ridi^^i'led,  then,  when  the 
tru'.h  of  what  he  affirms  is  proves,  there  rise  in  every 
part  of  the  world  other  men  who  say  that  they  knew 
all  about  it  ten  years  ago,  and  will  prove  it  too — at 
least  far  enough  to  delude  a  gullible  world  ;  in  the 
second,  because  I  am  a  humane  man,  I  hesitate  to 
spread  broadcast  a  knowledge  that  would  enable 
any  fool  to  destroy  the  universe.  Then  there  is  a 
third  reason.  There  is  another  who,  I  believe,  has 
discovered  how  to  make  this  force  loosen  its  grip 
on  the  particle — that  is  Keely,  of  Philadelphia,  in 

the  United  States " 

**  What !  You  don't  mean  the  Keely  motor 
man?"  cried  Jennie,  laughing.  "That  arrant  hum- 
bug !  Why,  all  the  papers  in  the  world  have  ex- 
posed his  ridici'lous  pretensions  ;  he  has  done  noth- 
ing but  spend  other  people's  money." 


UiU 


W.  -li 


/ 


life'*'    ' 


I 


260     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"Yes,  the  newspapers  have  ridiculed  him.  Hu- 
man beings  have,  since  the  beginning  of  the  world, 
stoned  their  prophets.  Nevertheless,  he  has  liber- 
ated a  force  that  no  gauge  made  by  man  can 
measure.  He  has  been  boastful,  if  you  like,  and 
has  said  that  with  a  teacup  full  of  water  he  would 
drive  a  steamship  across  the  Atlantic.  I  have  been 
silent,  working  away  with  my  eye  on  him,  and  he  has 
been  working  away  with  his  eye  on  me,  for  each 
knows  what  the  other  is  doing.  If  either  of  us  dis- 
covers how  to  control  this  force,  then  that  man's 
name  will  go  down  to  posterity  for  ever.  He  has 
not  yet  been  able  to  do  it ;  neither  have  I.  There 
is  still  another  difference  between  us.  He  appears 
to  be  able  to  loosen  that  force  in  his  own  presence  ; 
I  can  only  do  it  at  a  distance.  All  my  experiments 
lately  have  been  in  the  direction  of  making  modifi- 
cations with  this  machine,  so  as  to  liberate  the  force 
within  the  compass,  say,  of  this  room  ;  but  the  prob- 
lem has  bafifled  me.  The  invisible  rays  which  this 
machine  sends  out,  and  which  will  penetrate  stone, 
iron,  wood,  or  any  other  substance,  must  unite  at  a 
focus,  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  bring  that  focus 
nearer  me  than  something  over  half  a  mile.  Last 
summer  I  went  to  an  uninhabited  part  of  Switzer- 
land and  there  continued  my  experiments,     I  blew 


/ 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


261 


Hu- 

orld, 

liber- 

.   can 

,  and 

vould 

;  been 

le  has 
each 

us  dis- 
man's 

ie  has 
There 

ippears 

isence ; 
iments 
modifi- 
e  force 
le  prob- 
ch  this 
stone, 
ite  at  a 
t  focus 
Last 
witzer- 
I  blew 


up  at  will  rocks  and  boulders  on  the  mountain 
sides,  the  distances  varying  from  a  mile  to  half  a 
mile.  I  examined  the  results  of  the  disintegration, 
and  when  you  came  in  and  showed  me  that  gold,  I 
recognized  at  once  that  someone  had  discovered 
the  secret  I  have  been  trying  to  fathom  for  the  last 
ten  years.  I  thought  that  perhaps  you  had  come 
from  Keely.  I  am  now  convinced  that  the  explo- 
sion you  speak  of  in  the  Treasury  was  caused  by 
myself.  This  machine,  which  you  so  recklessly 
threatened  to  throw  out  of  the  window,  accidentally 
slipped  from  its  support  when  I  was  working  here, 
some  time  after  midnight  on  the  seventeenth.  I 
placed  it  immediately  as  you  see  it  now,  where  it 
throws  its  rays  into  mid-air,  and  is  consequently 
harmless ;  but  I  knew  an  explosion  must  have 
taken  place  in  Vienna  somewhere  within  the  radius 
of  half  a  mile.  I  drew  the  penciled  semi-circle  that 
you  saw  on  the  map  of  Vienna,  for  in  my  excite- 
ment in  placing  the  machine  upright,  I  had  not 
noticed  exactly  where  it  had  pointed,  but  I  knew 
that  along  the  line  I  had  drawn  an  explosion  must 
have  occurred,  and  could  only  hope  that  it  had  not 
been  a  serious  one,  which  it  seems  it  was.  I  waited 
and  waited,  hardly  daring  to  leave  my  attic ;  but 
hearing  no  news  of  any  disaster,  I  was  torn  between 


I'.  '.  ,. 


Ui 


262     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

the  anxiety  that  would  naturally  come  to  any 
humane  man  in  my  position — who  did  not  wish  to 
destroy  life — and  the  fear  that  if  nothing  had 
occurred,  I  had  not  actually  made  the  discovery  I 
thought  I  had  made.  You  spoke  of  my  actions  be- 
ing childish ;  but  when  I  realised  that  I  had  myself 
been  the  cause  of  the  explosion,  a  fear  of  criminal 
prosecution  came  over  me.  Not  that  I  should  ob- 
ject to  imprisonment  if  they  would  allow  me  to 
continue  my  experiments  ;  but  that,  doubtless,  they 
would  not  do,  for  the  authorities  know  nothing  of 
science,  and  care  less." 

In  spite  of  her  initial  scepticism,  Jennie  found  her- 
self gradually  coming  to  believe  in  the  efficiency  of 
the  harmless-looking  mechanism  of  glass  and  iron 
which  she  saw  on  the  table  before  her,  and  a  sensa- 
tion of  horror  held  her  spell-bound  as  she  gazed  at 
it.  Its  awful  possibilities  began  slowly  to  develop 
in  her  mind,  and  she  asked  breathlessly, — 

"What  would  happen  if  you  were  to  turn  that 
machine  and  point  it  towards  the  centre  of  the 
earth  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  what  would  happen.  Vienna  would 
lie  in  ruins,  and  possibly  the  whole  Austrian  Em- 
pire, and  perhaps  some  adjoining  countries  would 
become  a  mass  of  impalpable  dust.     It  may  be  that 


f 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD.  263 

the  world  itself  would  dissolve.  I  cannot  tell  what 
the  magnitude  of  the  result  might  be,  for  I  have 
not  dared  to  risk  the  experiment." 

"  Oh,"this  is  too  frightful  to  think  about,"  she  cried. 
"  You  must  destroy  the  machine,  Professor,  and 
you  must  never  make  another." 

"  What !  And  give  up  the  hope  that  my  name 
will  descend  to  posterity." 

"  Professor  Seigfricd,  when  this  machine  becomes 
known  to  the  world,  there  will  be  no  posterity  for 
your  name  to  descend  to.  With  the  present  hatred 
of  nation  against  nation,  with  different  countries 
full  of  those  unimprisoned  maniacs  whom  we  call 
Jingoes — men  preaching  the  hatred  of  one  people 
against  another — how  long  do  you  think  the  world 
will  last  when  once  such  knowledge  is  abroad  in 
it?" 

The  Professor  looked  longingly  at  the  machine  he 
had  so  slowly  and  painfully  constructed. 

"  It  would  be  of  much  use  to  humanity  if  it  were 
but  benevolently  employed.  With  the  coal-fields 
everywhere  diminishing,  it  would  supply  a  motive 
force  for  the  universe  that  would  last  through  the 


ages. 


"  Professor  Seigfried,"  exclaimed  Jennie  earnestly, 
"  when  the  Lord  permits  a  knowledge  of  that  ma- 


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7;     264     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

chine  to  become  common  property,  it  is  His  will  that 
the  end  of  the  world  shall  come." 

The  Professor  said  nothing,  but  stood  with 
deeply  wrinkled  brow,  gazing  earnestly  at  the 
mechanism.  In  his  hand  was  the  hammer-head 
which  he  had  previously  given  to  the  girl,  his  arm 
went  up  and  down  as  if  he  were  estimating  its 
weight ;  then  suddenly,  without  a  word  of  warning, 
he  raised  it  and  sent  it  crashing  through  the  ma- 
chine, whose  splintering  glass  fell  with  a  musical 
tinkle  on  the  floor. 

Jennie  gave  a  startled  cry,  and  with  a  low  moan 
the  Professor  struggled  to  his  chair  and  fell  rather 
than  sat  down  in  it.  A  ghastly  pallour  overspread 
his  face,  and  the  girl  in  alarm  ran  again  to  the  cup- 
board, poured  out  some  brandy  and  offered  it  to 
him,  then  tried  to  pour  it  down  his  throat,  but  his 
tightly  set  teeth  resisted  her  efforts.  She  chafed 
his  rigid  hands,  and  once  he  opened  his  eyes  slowly 
shaking  his  head. 

"  Try  to  sip  this  brandy,"  she  said,  seeing  his 
jaws  relax,  -.v*,.  :;;:;,■     ..■,-./■.       .     .  ■:. -v.-r'--  , 

"  It  is  useless,"  he  murmured  with  difficulty. 
"  My  life  was  in  the  instrument,  as  brittle  as  the 
glass.     I  have "  ,  ,  .         . 

He   could   say   no   more.     Jennie  went    swiftly 


'^^a^^ 


m-^ 


\.r 


'  1 


"  '  TRY  TO  SIP  THIS  BRANDY,' SHE  SAIU."—/'<»^«  26./. 


I '  >^.< 


■n 


JENNIE  VISITS  A  WIZARD. 


265 


downstairs  to  the  office  of  a  physician,  on  the  first 
floor,  which  she  had  noticed  as  she  came  up. 

The  medical  man,  who  knew  of  the  philosopher, 
but  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  him,  for  the 
Professor  had  few  friends,  went  up  the  steps  three 
at  a  time,  and  Jennie  followed  him  more  slowly. 
He  met  the  girl  at  the  door  of  the  attic. 

"  It  is  useless,"  he  said.  "  Professor  Seigfried  is 
dead ;  and  it  is  my  belief  that  in  his  taking  away 
Austria  has  lost  her  greatest  scientist." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  the  girl,  with  trem- 
bling voice;  "but  perhaps  after  all  it  is  for  the 
best." 

"  I  doubt  that,"  said  the  doctor.  "  I  never  feel 
so  like  quarrelling  with  Providence  as  when  some 
noted  man  is  removed  right  in  the  midst  of  his  use- 
fulness." 

"  I  am  afraid,"  replied  Jennie  solemnly,  "  that  we 
have  hardly  reached  a  state  of  development  that 
would  justify  us  in  criticising  the  wisdom  of  Provi- 
dence. In  my  own  short  life  I  have  seen  several 
instances  where  it  seemed  that  Providence  inter- 
vened for  the  protection  of  His  creatures  ;  and  even 
the  sudden  death  of  Professor  Seigfried  does  not 
shake  my  belief  that  Providence  knows  best." 

She  turned  quickly  away  and   went  down    the 


•  hi 


l-i.: 


If: 


-'  t  'v 


m 


Ui 


266    JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

stairs  in  some  haste.  At  the  outer  door  she  heard 
the  doctor  call  down,  "  I  must  have  your  name  and 
address,  please." 

But  Jennie  did  not  pause  tc  answer.  She  had 
no  wish  to  undergo  cross-ev.amination  at  an  inquest, 
knowing  that  if  she  told  the  truth  she  would  not 
be  believed,  while  if  she  attempted  to  hide  it,  un- 
expected personal  inconvenience  might  arise  from 
such  a  course.  She  ran  rapidly  to  the  street 
corner,  hailed  a  fiacre  and  drove  to  a  distant  part 
of  the  city ;  then  she  dismissed  the  cab,  went  to  a 
main  thoroughfare,  took  a  tram  car  to  the  centre  of 
the  town,  and  another  cab  to  the  Palace. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

JENNIE  ENGAGES  A  ROOM  IN  A  SEEEPING  CAR. 

Jennie  had  promised  Professor  Seigfried  not  to 
communicate  with  the  Director  of  Police,  and  she 
now  wondered  whether  it  would  be  breaking  her 
word,  or  not,  if  she  let  that  official  know  the  result 
of  her  investigation,  when  it  would  make  no  differ- 
ence, one  way  or  the  other  to  the  Professor.  If 
Professor  Seigfried  could  have  forseen  his  own 
sudden  death,  would  he  not,  she  asked  herself,  have 
preferred  her  to  make  public  all  she  knew  of  him  ? 
for  had  he  not  constantly  reiterated  that  fame  with 
the  consequent  transmission  of  his  name  to  poster- 
ity, was  what  he  worked  for  ?  Then  there  was  this 
consideration ;  if  the  Chief  of  Police  was  not  told 
how  the  explosion  had  been  caused,  his  fruitless 
search  would  go  futilely  on,  and,  doubtless,  in  the 
course  of  police  enquiry,  many  innocent  persons 
would  be  arrested,  put  to  inconvenience  and  ex- 
pense, and  there  was  even  a  chance  that  one  or 
more,  who  had  absolutely  nothing  to  do  with  the 


268     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

affair,  might  be  imprisoned  for  life.  She  resolved 
therefore,  to  tell  the  Director  of  the  Police  all  she 
knew,  which  she  would  not  have  done  had  Professor 
Seigfried  been  alive.  She  accordingly  sent  a  mes- 
senger for  the  great  official,  and  just  as  she  had 
begun  to  relate  to  the  impatient  Princess  what  had 
happened,  he  was  announced.  The  three  of  them 
held  convention  in  Jennie's  drawing-room  with 
locked  doors.  ^ 

'*  I  am  in  a  position,"  began  Jennie,  "  to  tell  you 
how  the  explosion  in  the  Treasury  was  caused  and 
who  caused  it ;  but  before  doing  so  you  must  prom- 
ise to  grant  me  two  favours,  each  of  which  is  in 
your  power  to  bestow  without  inconvenience." 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  the  Director  of  Police, 
cautiously. 

"  To  tell  what  they  are  is  to  tell  part  of  my  story. 
You  must  first  promise  blindly,  and  afterwards  keep 
your  promise  faithfully."  ; 

"  Those  are  rather  unusual  terms,  Miss  Baxter," 
said  the  Chief ;  "  but  I  accede  to  them,  the  more 
willingly  as  we  have  found  that  all  the  gojid  is  still 
in  the  Treasury,  as  you  said  it  was." 

"  Very  well,  then,  the  first  favour  is  that  I  shall 
not  be  called  to  give  testimony  when  an  inquest  is 
held  on  the  body  of  Profes  or  Carl  Seigfried." 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       269 


"  You  amaze  me ! "  cried  the  Director ;  "  how  did 
you  know  he  was  dead  ?  I  had  news  of  it  only  a 
moment  before  I  left  my  office." 

"  I  was  with  him  when  he  died,"  said  Jennie 
simply,  which  statement  drew  forth  an  exclamation 
of  surpiise  from  both  the  Princess  and  the  Director. 
"  My  next  request  is  that  you  destroy  utterly  a 
machine  which  stands  on  a  table  near  the  centre  of 
the  Professor's  room.  Perhaps  the  instrument  is 
already  disabled — I  believe  it  is — but,  nevertheless, 
I  shall  not  rest  content  until  you  have  seen  that 
every  vestige  of  it  is  made  away  with,  because  the 
study  of  what  is  left  of  it  may  enable  some  other 
scientist  to  put  it  in  working  order  again.  I  entreat 
you  to  attend  to  this  matter  yourself.  I  will  go 
with  you,  if  you  wish  me  to,  and  point  out  the 
instrument  in  case  it  has  been  removed  from  its 
position." 

"The  room  is  sealed,"  said  the  Director,  "and 
nothing  will  be  touched  until  I  arrive  there.  What 
is  the  nature  of  this  instrument  ?  " 

"  It  is  of  a  nature  so  deadly  and  destructive  that, 
if  it  got  into  the  hands  of  an  anarchist,  he  could, 
alone,  lay  the  city  of  Vienna  in  ruins." 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  cried  the  horrified  official, 
whose  ban  was  the  anarchist,  and  Jennie,  in  men- 


270     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

tioning  this  particular  type  of  criminal,  had  builded 
better  than  she  knew.  If  she  had  told  him  that 
the  Professor's  invention  might  enable  Austria  to 
conquer  all  the  surrounding  hations,  there  is  every 
chance  that  the  machine  would  have  been  carefully 
preserved. 

"The  explosion  in  the  Treasury  vaults,"  con- 
tinued Jennie,  "was  accidentally  caused  by  this 
instrument,  although  the  machine  at  the  moment 
was  in  a  garret  half-^umile  away.  You  saw  the  ter. 
rible  effect  of  that  explosion ;  imagine,  then,  the 
destruction  it  would  cause  in  the  hands  of  one  of 
those  anarchists  who  are  so  reckless  of  con- 
sequences." 

"  I  shall  destroy  the  instrument  with  my  own 
hands,"  asserted  the  Director  fervently,  mopping 
his  pallid  brow. 

Jennie  then  went  on,  to  the  increasing  astonish, 
ment  of  the  Princess  and  the  Director,  and  related 
every  detail  of  her  interview  with  the  late  Professor 
Carl  Seigfried. 

"  I  shall  go  at  once  and  annihilate  that  machine," 
said  the  Director,  rising  when  the  recital  was 
finished.  "  I  shall  see  to  that  myself.  Then,  after 
the  inquest,  I  shall  give  an  order  that  everything  in 
the  attic  is  to  be  destroyed.     I   wish   that   every 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       271 


line, 

was 

after 

ngin 

very 


scientific  man  on  the   face  of  the  earth  could  be 
safely  placed  behind  prison  bars." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  wouldn't  do  much  good," 
replied  Jennie,  "  unless  you  could  prevent  chemi- 
cals being  smuggled  in.  The  scientists  would 
probably  reduce  your  prison  to  powder,  and  walk 
calmly  out  through  the  dust." 

Mr.  Hardwick  had  told  Jennie  that  if  she  solved 
the  Vienna  mystery  she  would  make  a  European 
reputation  for  the  Dail^  Bugle.  Jennie  did  more 
than  was  expected  of  her,  yet  the  European  reputa- 
tion which  the  Bugle  established  was  not  one  to  be 
envied.  It  is  true  that  the  account  printed  of  the 
cause  of  the  explosion,  dramatically  completed  with 
the  Professor's  tragically  sudden  death,  caused  a 
great  sensation  in  London.  The  comic  papers  of 
the  week  were  full  of  illustrations  showing  the  uses 
to  which  the  Professor's  instrument  might  be  put. 
To  say  that  any  sane  man  in  England  believed  a 
word  of  the  article  would  be  to  cast  an  undeserved 
slight  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  British  public. 
No  one  paused  to  think  that  if  a  newspaper  had 
published  an  account  of  what  could  be  done  by  the 
RSntgen  rays,  without  being  able  to  demonstrate 
practically  the  truth  of  the  assertions  made,  the 
contribution    would    have    been    laughed    at.     If 


I  .1 


:..!* 


&-J2     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

some  years  ago  a  newspaper  had  stated  that  a  man  in 
New  York  listened  to  the  voice  of  a  friend  at  that 
moment  standing  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  not  only 
able  to  hear  what  his  friend  said,  but  would  actually 
recognise  the  voice  speaking  in  an  ordinary  tone, 
and  then  if  the  paper  had  added  that,  unfortunately, 
the  instrument  which  accomplished  this  had  been 
destroyed,  people  would  have  denounced  the  sensa- 
tional nature  of  modern  journalism. 

Letters  poured*  in  upon  the  editor,  saying  that 
while,  as  a  general  rule,  the  writers  were  willing  to 
stand  the  ordinary  lie  of  commerce  daily  printed  in 
the  sheet,  there  was  a  limit  to  their  credulity  and 
they  objected  to  be  taken  for  drivelling  imbeciles. 
To  complete  the  discomfiture  of  the  Daily  Bugle, 
the  Government  of  Austria  published  an  official 
statement,  which  Reuter  and  the  special  correspond- 
ents scattered  broadcast  over  the  earth.  The  state- 
ment was  written  in  that  calm,  serious,  and  con- 
sistent tone  which  diplomatists  use  when  uttering  a 
falsehood  of  more  than  ordinary  dimensions. 

Irresponsible  rumours  had  been  floating  about 
(the  official  proclamation  began)  to  the  effect  that 
there  had  been  an  explosion  in  the  Treasury  at 
Vienna.  It  had  been  stated  that  a  large  quantity 
of  gold  had  been  stolen,  and  that  a  disaster  of  some 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       273 


kind  had  occurred  in  the  Treasury  vaults.  Then  a 
i-idiculous  story  had  been  printed  which  asserted 
that  Professor  Seigfried,  one  of  Austria's  honoured 
dead,  had  in  some  manner  th.'^t  savoured  of  the 
Black  Art,  encompassed  this  wholesale  destruction. 
The  Government  now  begged  to  make  the  following 
declarations :  First,  not  a  penny  had  been  stolen 
out  of  the  Treasury ;  second,  the  so-called  war-chest 
was  intact ;  third,  the  two  hundred  million  florins 
reposed  securely  within  the  bolted  doors  of  the 
Treasury  vaults  ;  fourth,  the  coins  were  not,  as  had 
been  alleged,  those  belonging  to  various  countries, 
which  was  a  covert  intimation  that  Austria  had 
hostile  intent  against  one  or  the  other  of  those 
friendly  nations.  The  whole  coinage  in  this  falsely 
named  war-chest,  which  was  not  a  war-chest  at  all 
but  merely  a  receptacle  of  a  reserve  fund  which 
Austria  possessed,  was  entirely  in  Austrian  coinage  ; 
fifth,  in  order  that  these  sensational  and  disquiet- 
ing scandals  should  be  set  at  rest,  the  Government 
announced  that  it  intended  to  weigh  this  gold  upon 
a  certain  date,  and  it  invited  representatives  of  the 
Press,  from  Russia,  Germany,  France,  and  England 
to  witness  this  weighing. 

The  day  after  this  troy-weighffunction  had  taken 
place  in  Vienna,  long  telegraphic  accounts   of  it 


!J! 


1 


2;4    JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

appeared  in  the  English  press,  and  several  solemn 
leading  articles  were  put  forward  in  the  editorial 
columns,  which,  without  mentioning  the  name  of 
the  Daily  Bugle,  deplored  the  voracity  of  the  sen- 
sational editor,  who  respected  neither  the  amity 
which  should  exist  between  friendly  nations,  nor 
the  good  name  of  the  honoured  and  respected  dead, 
in  his  wolfish  hunt  for  the  daily  scandal.  Nothing 
was  too  high-spiced  or  improbable  for  him  to  print. 

He  traded  on  the  supposed  gullibility  of  a  fickle 
public.  But,  fortunately,  in  the  long  run,  these 
staid  sheets  asserted,  such  actions  recoiled  upon  the 
head  of  him  who  promulgated  them.  Sensational 
journals  merited  and  received  the  scathing  con- 
tempt of  all  honest  men.  Later  on,  one  of  the  re- 
views had  an  article  entitled  "Some  Aspects  of 
Modern  Journalism,"  which  battered  in  the  head 
of  the  Daily  Bugle  as  with  a  sledge  hammer,  and  in 
one  of  the  quarterlies  a  professor  at  Cambridge 
showed  the  absurdity  of  the  alleged  invention  from 
a  scientific  point  of  view. 

"  I  swear,"  cried  Mr.  Hardwick,  as  he  paced  up 
and  down  his  room,  "  that  I  shall  be  more  careful 
after  this  in  the  handling  of  truth  ;  it  is  a  most  dan- 
gerous thing  to  meddle  with.  If  you  tell  the  truth 
about  a  man,  you  are  mulcted  in  a  libel  suit,  and  if 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       275 


you  tell  the  truth  about  a  nation,  the  united  Press 
of  the  country  are  down  upon  you.  Ah,  well,  it 
makes  the  battle  of  life" all  the  more  interesting,  and 
we  are  baffled  to  fight  better,  as  Browning  says." 

The  editor  had  sent  for  Miss  Baxter,  and  she  now 
sat  by  his  desk  while  he  paced  nervously  to  and  fro. 
The  doors  were  closed  and  locked  so  that  they 
might  not  be  interrupted,  and  she  knew  by  the 
editor's  manner  that  something  important  was  on 
hand.  Jennie  had  returned  to  London  after  a 
month's  stay  in  Vienna,  and  had  been  occupied  for 
a  week  at  her  old  routine  work  in  the  office. 

"  Now,  Miss  Baxter,"  said  the  editor,  when  he 
had  proclaimed  his  distrust  of  the  truth  as  a  worka- 
ble material  in  journalism,  "  I  have  a  plan  to  set 
before  you,  and  when  you  know  what  it  is,  I  am 
quite  prepared  to  hear  you  refuse  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  it.  And,  remember,  if  you  do  undertake 
it,  there  is  but  one  chance  in  a  million  of  your  suc- 
ceeding. It  is  on  this  one  chance  that  I  propose 
now  to  send  you  to  St.  Petersburg " 

"  To  St.  Petersburg  !  "  echoed  the  girl  in  dismay. 

**  Yes,"  said  the  editor,  mistaking  the  purport  of 
her  ejaculation,  "  it  is  a  very  long  trip,  but  you  can 
travel  there  in  great  comfort,  and  I  want  you  to 
spare  no  expense  in  obtaining  for  yourself  every 


Hi 


I  ■..■>.' 


-  X- 


276     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

luxury  that  the  various  -ailroad  lines  afford  during 
your  journey  to  St.  Petersburg  and  back." 

"And  what  am  I  to  go  to  St.  Petersburg  for?" 
murmured  Jennie  faintly. 

*'  Merely  for  a  letter.  Here  is  what  has  hap- 
pened, and  what  is  happening.  I  shall  mention  no 
names,  but  at  present  a  high  and  mighty  personage 
in  Russia,  who  is  friendly  to  Great  Britain,  has 
written  a  private  letter,  making  some  proposals  to  a 
certain  high  and  mighty  personage  in  England,  who 
is  friendly  to  Russia.  This  communication  is  en- 
tirely unofficial ;  neither  Government  is  supposed 
to  know  anything  at  all  about  it.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  Russian  Government  have  a  suspicion,  and 
the  British  Government  have  a  certainty,  that  such 
a  document  will  shortly  be  in  transit.  Nothing 
may  come  of  it,  or  great  things  may  come  of  it. 
Now  on  the  night  of  the  2ist,  in  one  of  the  sleep- 
ing cars  leaving  St.  Petersburg  by  the  Nord  Ex- 
press for  Berlin,  there  will  travel  a  special  messenger 
having  this  letter  in  his  possession.  I  want  you  to 
take  passage  by  that  same  train  and  secure  a  com- 
partment near  the  messenger  if  possible.  This  mes- 
senger will  be  a  man  in  whom  the  respective  parties 
to  the  negotiation  have  implicit  confidence.  I  wish 
I  knew  his  name,  but  I  don't ;  still,  the  chances  are 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       27; 

that  he  is  leaving  London  for  St.  Petersburg  about 
this  time,  and  so  you  might  keep  your  eyes  open  on 
your  journey  there,  for,  if  you  discovered  him  to  be 
your  fellow-passenger,  it  might  perhaps  make  the 
business  that  comes  after  easier.  You  see  this 
letter,"  continued  the  editor,  taking  from  a  drawer 
in  his  desk  a  large  envelope,  the  flap  of  which  was 
secured  by  a  great  piece  of  stamped  sealing-wax. 
"  This  merely  contains  a  humble  ordinary  copy  of 
to-day's  issue  of  the  Bugle,  but  in  outside  appear- 
ance it  might  be  taken  for  a  duplicate  of  the  letter 
which  is  to  leave  St.  Petersburg  on  the  21st.  Now, 
what  I  would  like  you  to  do  is  to  take  this  envelope 
in  your  hand-bag,  and  if,  on  the  journey  back  to 
London,  you  have  an  opportunity  of  securing  the 
real  letter  and  leaving  this  in  its  place,  you  will 
have  accomplished  the  greatest  service  you  have 
yet  done  for  the  paper." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Jennie,  rising,  "  I  couldn't  think  of 
that,  Mr.  Hardwick — I  couldn't  think  of  doing  it. 
It  is  nothing  short  of  highway  robbery !  " 

"I  know  it  looks  like  that,"  pleaded  Hardwick; 
"but  listen  to  me.  If  I  were  going  to  open  the 
letter  and  use  its  contents,  then  you  might  charge 
me  with  instigating  theft.  The  fact  is,  the  letter 
will  not  be  delayed  ;  it  will  reach  the  hands  of  the 


^'Ai 


■  :l 


fr 


i  M 
i  j 


278     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

high  and  mighty  personage  in  England  quite  intact. 
The  only  difference  is  that  you  will  be  its  bearer 
instead"  of  the  messenger  they  send  for  it." 

"  You  expect  to  open  the  letter,  then,  in  some 
surreptitious  way — some  way  that  will  not  be 
noticed  afterwards  ?  Oh,  I  couldn't  do  it,  Mr.  Hard- 
wick." 

"  My  dear  girl,  you  are  jumping  at  conclusions. 
I  shall  amaze  you  when  I  tell  you  that  I  know  already 
practically  what  the  contents  of  that  letter  are." 

"  Then  what  is  the  use  of  going  to  all  this  expense 
and  trouble  trying  to  steal  it  ?  " 

"Don't  say  'steal  it,'  Miss  Baxter.  I'll  tell  you 
what  my  motive  is.  There  is  an  official  in  England 
who  has  gone  out  of  his  way  to  throw  obstacles  in 
mine.  This  is  needless  and  irritating,  for  generally 
I  manage  to  get  the  news  I  am  in  quest  of ;  but  in 
several  instances,  owing  to  his  opposition  I  have 
not  only  not  got  the  news,  but  other  papers  have. 
Now,  since  the  general  raking  we  have  had  over  this 
Austrian  business,  quite  aside  from  the  fact  that 
we  published  the  exact  truth,  this  stupid  old  ofHcial 
duffer  has  taken  it  upon  himself  to  be  exceedingly 
sneering  and  obnoxious  to  me,  and  I  confess  I  want 
to  take  him  down  a  peg.  He  hasn't  any  idea  that 
I  know  as  much  about  this  business  as  I  do — in 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       279 

fact,  he  thinks  it  is  an  absolute  secret ;  yet,  if  I  liked, 
I  could  to-morrow  nullify  all  the  arrangements  by 
simply  publishing  what  is  already  in  my  possession, 
which  action  on  my  part  would  create  a  furore  in 
this  country,  and  no  less  of  a  furore  in  Russia. 
For  the  sake  of  amity  between  nations,  which  I  am 
accused  of  disregarding,  I  hold  my  hand. 

"  Now,  if  >ou  get  possession  of  that  communica- 
tion, I  want  you  to  telegraph  to  me  while  you  are 
en  route  for  London,  and  I  will  meet  you  at  the  ter- 
minus ;  then  I  shall  take  the  document  direct  to 
this  ofHcial,  even  before  the  regular  messenger  has 
time  to  reach  him.  I  shall  say  to  the  official,  *  There 
is  the  message  from  the  high  personage  in  Russia 
to  the  high  personage  in  England.  If  you  want 
the  document,  I  will  give  it  to  you,  but  it  must  be 
understood  that  you  are  to  be  a  little  less  friendly 
to  certain  other  newspapers,  and  a  little  more 
friendly  to  mine,  in  future.'  " 

"  And  suppose  he  refuses  your  terms  ?  " 

"  He  won't  refuse  them  ;  but  if  he  does  I  shall 
hand  him  the  envelope  just  the  same." 

"  Well,  honestly,  Mr.  Hardwick,  I  don't  think 
your  scheme  worth  the  amount  of  money  it  will 
cost,  and  besides,  the  chance  of  my  getting  hold  of 
the  packet,  which  will  doubtless  be  locked  safely 


;^'-;!il 


280     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

within  a  despatch-box,  and  constantly  under  the 
eye  of  the  messenger,  is  most  remote." 

"  I  am  more  than  willing  to  risk  all  that  if  you 
will  undertake  the  journey.  You  speak  lightly  of 
my  scheme,  but  that  is  merely  because  you  do  not 
understand  the  situation.  Everything  you  have 
heretofore  done  has  been  of  temporary  advantage 
to  the  paper ;  but  if  you  carry  this  off,  I  expect 
the  benefit  to  the  Bugle  will  be  lasting.  It  will  give 
me  a  standing  with  certain  officials  that  I  have 
never  before  succeeded  in  getting.  In  the  first 
place,  it  will  make  them  afraid  of  me,  and  that  of 
itself  is  a  powerful  lever  when  we  are  trying  to  get 
information  which  they  are  anxious  to  give  to  some 
other  paper." 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Hardwick,  I  will  try ;  though  I 
warn  you  to  expect  nothing  but  failure.  In  every- 
thing else  I  have  endeavoured  to  do,  I  have  felt 
confident  of  success  from  the  beginning.  In  this 
instance  I  am  as  sure  I  shall  fail." 

"As  I  told  you,  Miss  Baxter,  the  project  is  so 
difficult  that  your  failure,  if  you  do  fail,  will  merely 
prove  it  to  have  been  impossible,  because  I  am  sure 
that  if  anyone  on  earth  could  carry  the  project  to 
success,  you  are  that  person ;  and,  furthermore,  I 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       281 

am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  consenting  to 
attempt  such  a  mission." 

Ani  thus  it  was  that  Jennie  Baxter  found  herself 
in  due  time  in  the  great  capital  of  the  north,  with 
a  room  in  the  Hotel  de  TEurope  overlooking  the 
Nevski  Prospect.  In  ordinary  circumstances  she 
would  have  enjoyed  a  visit  to  St.  Petersburg ;  but 
now  she  was  afraid  to  venture  out,  being  under  the 
apprehension  that  at  any  moment  she  might  meet 
Lord  Donal  Stirling  face  to  face,  and  that  he  would 
recognise  her ;  therefore  she  remained  discreetly  in 
her  room,  watching  the  strange  street  scenes  from 
her  window.  She  found  herself  scrutinising  every- 
one who  had  the  appearance  of  being  an  English- 
man, and  she  had  to  confess  to  a  little  qualm  of 
disappointment  when  the  person  in  question  proved 
to  be  some  other  than  Lord  Donal ;  in  fact,  during 
her  short  stay  at  St.  Petersburg  she  saw  nothing  of 
the  young  man. 

Jennie  went  on  the  evening  of  her  arrival  to  the 
offices  of  the  Sleeping  Car  Company,  to  secure  a 
place  in  one  of  the  carriages  that  left  at  six  o'clock 
on  the  evening  of  the  21st.  Her  initial  difficulty 
met  her  when  she  learned  there  were  several  sleep- 
ing cars  on  that  train,  and  she  was  puzzled  to 
know  which  to  select.     She  stood  there,  hesitating, 


.'■'!i 


m^* 


I'   I 


282     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

with  the  plans  of  the  carnages  on  the  table  before 
her. 

"  You  have  ample  choice,"  said  the  clerk ;  "  seats 
are  not  usually  booked  so  long  in  advance,  and  only 
two  places  have  been  taken  in  the  train,  so  far." 

"  I  should  like  to  be  in  a  carriage  containing  some 
English  people,"  said  the  girl,  not  knowing  what 
excuse  to  give  for  her  hesitation. 

"  Then  let  me  recommend  this  car,  for  one  com- 
partment has  been  taken  by  the  British  Embassy — 
Room  C,  near  the  centre,  marked  with  a  cross." 

"  Ah,  well,  I  will  take  the  compartment  next  to 
it — Room  D,  isn't  it?"  said  Jennie. 

"  Oh,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  also  has  been  taken. 
Those  are  the  two  which  are  bespoken.  I  will  see 
under  what  name  Room  D,  has  been  booked. 
Probably  its  occupant  is  English  also.  But  I  can 
give  you  Room  B,  on  the  other  side  of  the  one  re- 
served by  the  Embassy.  It  is  a  two-berth  room, 
Nos.  5  and  6."  ' 

"  That  will  do  quite  as  well,"  said  Jennie. 

The  clerk  looked  up  the  order  book,  and  then 
said, — 

"  It  is  not  recorded  here  by  whom  Room  D,  was 
reserved.  As  a  usual  thing,"  he  continued,  lower- 
ing his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper  and  looking  fur- 


JENNIE  IN  A  SLEEPING  CAR.       283 

tively  over  his  shoulder,  "  when  no  name  is  marked 
down,  that  means  the  Russian  police.  So,  you  see, 
by  taking  the  third  room  you  will  not  only  be 
under  the  shadow  of  the  British  Embassy,  but  also 
under  the  protection  of  Russia.  Do  you  wish  one 
berth  only,  or  the  whole  room  ?  It  is  a  two-berth 
compartment." 
"  I  desire  the  whole  room,  if  you  please." 
She  paid  the  price  and  departed,  wondering  if  the 
other  room  had  really  been  taken  by  the  police, 
and  whether  the  authorities  were  so  anxious  for  the 
safety  of  the  special  messenger  that  they  considered 
it  necessary  to  protect  him  to  the  frontier.  If,  in 
addition  to  the  natural  precautions  of  the  messen- 
ger, there  was  added  the  watchfulness  of  one  or 
two  suspicious  Russian  policemen,  then  would  her 
difficult  enterprise  become  indeed  impossible.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  ill-paid  policemen  might  be 
amenable  to  the  influence  of  money,  and  as  she  was 
well  supplied  with  the  coin  of  the  realm,  their 
presence  might  be  a  help  rather  than  a  hindrance. 
All  in  all,  she  had  little  liking  for  the  task  she  had 
undertaken,  and  the  more  she  thought  of  it,  the 
less  it  commended  itself  to  her.  Nevertheless,  hav- 
ing pledged  her  word  to  the  editor,  if  failure  came 
it  would  be  through  no  fault  of  hers. 


1^  I 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JENNIE  ENDURES  A  TERRIBLE  NIGHT  JOURNEY. 

Jennie  went  early  to  the  station  on  the  night  of 
the  2 1  St  and  entered  the  sleeping  car  as  soon  as  she 
was  allowed  to  do  so.  The  conductor  seemed 
unaccountably  flustered  at  her  anxiety  to  get  to 
her  room,  and  he  examined  her  ticket  with  great 
care  ;  then,  telling  her  to  follow  him,  brought  her 
to  Room  B,  in  which  were  situated  berths  5  and  6 
upper  and  lower.  The  berths  were  not  made  up, 
and  the  room  showed  one  seat  made  to  accommodate 

Room  A.     Room  B.     Room  C.     Room  D. 


M 

J      " 

4    <o 

gj       * 

s  1 

9 

s 

1 

» 

1 

1 

1 

^     « 

'      M 

n   to 

(8    f 

tt   s 

^ 

Pasaage. 

Door. 

Pi 

.AM  or  Slei 

flMOCAB. 

\. 

two  persons.    The  conductor  went  out  on  the  plat- 
form again,  and  Jennie,  finding  herself  alone  in  the 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      285 

carriage,  walked  up  and  down  the  narrow  passage- 
way  at  the  side  to  get  a  better  idea  of  her  surround- 
ings. 

Room  C,  next  to  her  own,  was  the  one  taken  by 
the  British  Embassy.  Room  D,  still  further  on, 
was  the  one  that  appeared  to  have  been  retained 
by  the  police.  She  stood  for  a  few  moments  by 
the  broad  plate-glass  window  that  lined  the  passage 
and  looked  out  at  the  crowded  platform.  For  a 
time  she  watched  the  conductor,  who  appeared  to 
be  gazing  anxiously  towards  the  direction  from 
which  passengers  streamed,  as  if  looking  for 
someone  in  particular.  Presently  a  big  man,  a 
huge  overcoat  belted  round  him,  with  a  stern 
bearded  face — looking,  the  girl  thought,  typically 
Russian — strode  up  to  the  conductor  and  spoke 
earnestly  with  him.  Then  the  two  turned  to  the 
steps  of  the  car,  and  Jennie  fled  to  her  narrow 
little  room,  closing  the  door  all  but  about  an  inch. 
An  instant  later  the  two  came  in,  speaking  together 
in  French.  The  larger  man  had  a  gruff  voice  and 
spoke  the  language  in  a  way  that  showed  it  was  not 
native  to  him. 

"  When  did  you  learn  that  he  had  changed  his 
room  ?  "  asked  the  man  with  the  gruff  voice. 

"  Only  this  afternoon,"  replied  the  conductor. 


286     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Did  you  bore  holes  between  that  and  the 
adjoining  compartment  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Excellency  ;  but  Azof  did  not  tell  me 
whether  you  wanted  the  holes  at  the  top  or  the 
bottom." 

"  At  the  bottom,  of  course,"  replied  'the  Russian. 
"Any  fool  might  have  known  that.  The  gas  must 
rise,  not  fall ;  then  when  he  feels  its  effect  and  tum- 
bles down,  he  will  be  in  a  dense*  layer  of  it, 
whereas,  if  we  put  it  in  the  top,  and  he  fell 
down,  he  would  come  into  pure  air  and  so 
might  make  his  6scape.  You  did  not  bore  the 
ho' ;  over  the  top  berth,  I  hope?  " 

"  Yes,  Excellency,  but  I  bored  one  at  the  bottom 
also." 

"  Oh,  very  well,  we  can  easily  stop  the  one  at  the 
top.  Have  you  fastened  the  window  ?  for  the  first 
thing  these  English  do  is  to  open  a  window." 

"  The  window  is  securely  fastened,  your  Excel- 
lency, unless  he  breaks  the  glass." 

"  Oh,  he  will  not  think  of  doing  that  until  it  is 
too  late.  The  English  are  a  law-abiding  people. 
How  many  other  passengers  are  there  in  the  car  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  forgot  to  tell  you,  Excellency,  the  Room 
B,  has  been  taken  by  an  English  lady,  who  is  there 


now. 


•f 


the 

me 
the 

isian. 
must 
tum- 
of  it, 
;  fell 
d  so 
e   the 

(Ottom 

at  the 
ne  first 

Lxcel- 

U  it  is 

people. 

?»» 

Room 
lis  there 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      287 

"  Ten  thousand  devils ! "  cried  the  Russian  in  a 
hoarse  whisper.  "Why  did  you  not  say  that 
before." 

The  voices  now  fell  to  so  low  a  murmur  that  Jen- 
nie could  not  distinguish  the  words  spoken.  A  mo- 
ment later  there  was  a  rap  at  her  door,  and  sho  had 
presence  of  mind  enough  to  get  in  the  further  cor- 
ner, and  say  in  a  sleepy  voice, — 

"  Come  in ! " 

The  conductor  opened  the  door.       > 

"  Voire  billet,  s'il  vous  plait,  madame** 

"  Can't  you  speak  English?"  asked  Jennie. 

The  conductor  merely  repeated  the  question,  and 
as  Jennie  was  shaking  her  head  the  big  Russian 
looked  over  the  conductor's  shoulder  and  said  in 
passable  English, — 

"  He  is  asking  for  your  ticket,  madam.  Do  you 
not  speak  French  ?  " 

In  answer  to  this  direct  question  Jennie,  fum- 
bling in  her  purse  for  her  ticket  replied, — 

"  I  speak  English,  and  I  have  already  shown  him 
my  ticket." 

She  handed  her  broad-sheet  sleeping-car  ticket  to 
the  Russian,  who  had  pushed  the  conductor  aside 
and  now  stood  within  the  compartment. 


288     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOU-RNALIST. 

"  There  has  been  a  mistake,"  he  said.  "  Room 
C  is  the  one  that  has  been  reserved  for  you." 

"  I  am  sure  there  isn't  any  mistake,"  said  Jennie. 
"  I  booked  berths  5  and  6.  See,  there  are  the 
numbers,"  pointing  to  the  metallic  plates  by  the 
door,  "  and  here  are  the  same  numbers  on  the 
ticket." 

The  Russian  shook  his  head. 

"  The  mistake  has  been  made  at  the  office  of  the 
Sleeping  Car  Company.  I  am  a  director  of  the 
Company." 

**  Oh,  are  you  ?  "  asked  Jennie  innocently.  "  Is 
Room  C  as  comfortable  as  this  one  ?  " 

"It  is  a  duplicate  of  this  one,  madam,  and  is 
more  comfortable,  because  it  is  nearer  the  centre  of 
the  car." 

"  Well,  there  is  no  mistake  about  my  reserving 
the  two  berths,  is  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  madam,  the  room  is  entirely  at  your 
disposal." 

"  Well,  then,  in  that  case,"  said  Jennie,  "  I  have 
no  objection  to  making  a  change." 

She  knew  that  she  would  be  compelled  to 
change,  no  matter  what  her  ticket  recorded,  so  she 
thought  it  best  to  play  the  simple  maiden  abroad, 
and   make  as  little   fuss    as    possible    about   the 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      289 


ioom 


ennie. 

•e  the 

y  the 

1    the 

i 
of  the 

oi  the 

-.     « Is 

and   is 
ntre  of 

serving 

your 

I  have 

led  to 
so  she 
ibroad, 
ut   the 


transfer.  She  had  to  rearrange  the  car  in  her  mind. 
She  was  now  in  Room  C,  which  had  been  first 
reserved  by  the  British  Embar.sy.  It  was  evident 
that  at  the  last  moment  the  messenger  had  decided 
to  take  Room  A,  a  four-beith  compartment  at  the 
end  of  the  car.  The  police  then  would  occupy 
Room  B,  which  she  had  first  engaged,  and,  from  the 
h't  of  conversation  she  had  overheard,  Jennie  was 
convinced  that  they  intended  to  kill  or  render 
insensible  the  messenger  who  bore  the  important 
letter.  The  police  were  there  not  to  protect,  but 
to  attack.  This  amazing  complication  in  the  plot 
concentrated  all  the  girl's  sympathies  on  the  un- 
fortunate man  who  was  messenger  between  two 
great  personages,  even  though  he  travelled 
apparently  under  the  protection  of  the  British 
Embassy  at  St.  Petersburg.  The  fact,  to  put  it 
baldly,  that  she  had  intended  to  rob  him  herself,  if 
opportunity  occurred,  rose  before  her  like  an  accus- 
ing ghost.  "  I  shall  never  undertake  anything  like 
this  again,"  she  cried  to  herself,  "  never,  never," 
and  now  she  resolved  to  make  reparation  to  the 
man  she  had  intended  to  injure.  She  would  watch 
for  him  until  he  came  down  the  passage,  and  then 
warn  him  by  relating  what  she  had  heard.  She 
had  taken  off  her  hat  on  entering  the  room  ;  now 


ma 


i  ! 


290     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

she  put  it  on  hurriedly,  thrusting  a  long  pin  through 
it.  As  she  stood  up,  there  was  a  jolt  of  the  train 
that  caused  her  to  sit  down  again  somewhat  hur- 
riedly. Passing  her  window  she  saw  the  lights  of 
the  station ;  the  train  was  in  motion.  "  Thank 
Heaven  ! "  she  cried  fervently,  "  he  is  too  late. 
Those  plotting  villains  will  have  all  their  trouble 
for  nothing." 

She  glanced  upwards  towards  the  ceiling  and 
noticed  a  hole  about  an  inch  in  diameter  bored  in 
the  thin  wooden  partition  between  her  compart- 
ment and  the  next.  Turning  to  the  wall  behind 
her  she  saw  that  another  hole  had  been  bored  in  a 
similar  position  through  to  Room  B.  The  car  had 
been  pretty  thoroughly  prepared  for  the  work  in 
hand,  and  Jennie  laughed  softly  to  herself  as  she 
pictured  the  discomfiture  of  the  conspirators.  The 
train  was  now  rushing  through  the  suburbs  of  St. 
Petersburg,  when  Jennie  was  startled  by  hearing  a 
stranger's  voice  say  in  French, — 

"  Conductor,  I  have  Room  A  ;  which  end  of  the 
car  is  that  ? 

"  This  way.  Excellency,"  replied  the  conductor. 
Everyone  seemed  to  be  "  Excellency  "  with  him. 

A  momeiit  later,  Jennie,  who  had  again  risen  to 
her  feet,  horrified  to  learn  that,  after  all,  the  mes- 


If'l 


hrough 
le  train 
lat  hur- 
ghts  of 
'  Thank 
)0  late, 
trouble 

Ing  and 
oored  in 
:ompart- 
1  behind 
red  in  a 
e  car  had 

work  in 
If  as  she 

rs.    The 

IS  of  St. 

tearing  a 

id  of  the 

mductor. 
th  him. 

risen  to 
Ithe  mes- 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      291 

senger  had  come,  heard  the  door  of  his  room  click. 
Everything  was  silent  save  the  purring  murmur  of 
the  swiftly  moving  train.     She  stood  there  for  a  few 
moments   tense  with    excitement,  then  bethought 
herself  of  the  hole  between  her  present  compartment 
and  the  one  she  had  recently  left.     She  sprang  up 
on  the  seat,  and  placing  her  eye  with  some  caution 
at  the  hole,  peered  through.     First  she  thought  the 
compartment  was  empty,  then   noticed  there  had 
been   placed  at   the   end   by  the  window   a   huge 
cylinder  that  reached  nearly  to  the  ceiling  of  the 
room.    The  lamp  above  was  burning  brightly,  and 
she  could   see   every  detail   cf   the   compartment, 
except  towards  the  floor.     As  she  gazed  a  man's 
back  slowly  rose  ;  he  appeared  to  have  been  kneel- 
ing on  the  floor,  and  he  held  in  his  hand  the  loop 
of  a  rubber  tube.     Peering  downwards,  she  saw  that 
it  was  connected  with  the  cylinder,  and  that  it  was 
undoubtedly   pouring  whatever   gas    the   cylinder 
contained  through  the  hole  into  Room  A.     For  a 
moment  she  had  difficulty  in  repressing  a  shriek ; 
but  realising  how  perfectly  helpless  she  was,  even  if 
an  alarm  was  raised,  she  fought  down  all  exclama- 
tion.    She  saw  that  the  man  who  was  regulating 
the  escape  of  gas  was  not  the  one  who  had  spoken 
to  the   conductor.     Then,   fearing  that  he   might 


\ 


mm» 


MW 


;ilil 


:!^ 


M 


':i     .t 


*:'■'■;•  tl 


]i'-      £: -9,     "  I 


:  1 


•  << 


292     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

turn  his  head  and  see  her  eye  at  the  small  aperture, 
she  reached  up  and  covered  the  lamp,  leaving  her 
own  room  in  complete  darkness.  The  double  cov- 
ering, which  closed  over  the  semi-globular  lamp 
like  an  eyelid,  kept  every  ray  of  light  from  penetrat- 
ing into  the  compartment  she  occupied. 

As  Jennie  turned  to  her  espionage  again,  she  heard 
a  blow  given  to  the  door  in  Room  A  that  made  it 
chatter,  then  there  was  a  sound  of  a  heavy  fall  on 
the  floor.  The  door  of  Room  B  was  flung  open,  the 
head  of  the  first  Russian  was  thrust  in,  and  he  spoke 
in  his  own  language  a  single  grufif  word.  His 
assistant  then  turned  the  cock  and  shut  off  the  gas 
from  the  cylinder.  The  door  of  Room  B  was 
instantly  shut  again,  and  Jennie  heard  the  rattle  of 
the  key  as  Room  A  was  being  unlocked. 

Jennie  jumped  down  from  her  perch,  threw  off 
her  hat,  and,  with  as  little  noise  as  possible,  slid 
her  door  back  an  inch  or  two.  The  conductor  had 
unlocked  the  door  of  Room  A,  the  tall  Russian 
standing  beside  him  saying  in  a  whisper, — 

"  Never  mind  the  man,  he'll  .ecover  the  moment 
you  open  the  door  and  window ;  get  the  box. 
Hold  your  nose  with  your  fingers  and  keep  your 
mouth  shut.  There  it  is,  that  black  box  in  the 
corner." 


aperture, 
iving  her 
uble  cov- 
lar  lamp 
pcnetrat- 

she  heard 
at  made  it 
Lvy  fall  oi\ 
r  open,  the 
id  he  spoke 
vord.     His 

off  the  gas 
om  B  was 
he  rattle  of 

I,  threw  off 
)ssible,  slid 
[ductor  had 
ill   Russian 

he  moment 

the    box. 

keep  your 

)ox  in   the 


1    ^ 

-.1 

1       t^    4- 

fir      ^            ,..      .       ■ 

"s 


ii 


"  JENNIK  LURCIIEn  AGAINST  UIM  AND  JERKED  THE  LETTER  FROM  THE 
AMAZED  ANU  FRKiHTENEU  MAN."— /"(liV  3(;j. 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.     293 

The  conductor  made  a  dive  into  the  room,  and 
came  out  with  an  ordinary  black  despatch-box. 

The  policeman  seemed  well  provided  with  the 
materials  for  his  burglarious  purpose.  He  selected 
a  key  from  a  jingling  bunch,  tried  it  ;  selected 
another  ;  then  a  third,  and  the  lid  of  the  despatch- 
box  was  thrown  back.  He  took  out  a  letter  so 
exactly  the  duplicate  of  the  one  Jennie  possessed 
that  she  clutched  her  own  document  to  see  if  it 
were  still  in  her  pocket.  The  Russian  put  the 
envelope  between  his  knees  and  proceeded  to  lock 
the  box.  His  imagination  had  not  gone  to  any 
such  refinement  as  the  placing  of  a  dummy  copy 
where  the  original  had  been.  Quick  as  thought 
Jennie  acted.  She  slid  open  the  door  quietly  and 
stepped  out  into  the  passage.  So  intent  were  the 
two  men  on  their  work  that  neither  saw  her.  The 
tall  man  gave  the  box  back  to  the  conductor,  then 
took  the  letter  from  between  his  knees,  holding  it 
in  his  right  hand,  when  Jennie,  as  if  swayed  by  the 
motion  of  the  car,  lurched  against  him,  and,  with  a 
sleight  of  hand  that  would  have  made  her  reputa- 
tion on  a  necromantic  stage,  she  jerked  the  letter 
from  the  amazed  and  frightened  man,  at  the  same 
moment  allowing  the  bogus  document  to  drop  on 
the  floor  of  the  car  from  her  other  hand.    The  con- 


!  I 


294     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

ductor  had  just  emerged  from  Room  A,  holding 
his  nose  and  looking  comical  enough  as  he  stood 
there  in  that  position,  amazed  at  the  sudden  appari- 
tion of  the  lady.  The  Russian  struck  down  the 
conductor's  fingers  with  his  right  hand,  and  by  a 
swift  motion  of  the  left  closed  the  door  of  Com- 
partment A,  all  of  which  happened  in  a  tenth  of 
the  time  taken  to  tell  it. 

•'  Oh,  pardon  me ! "  cried  Jennie  in  English,  "  I'm 
afraid  a  lurch  of  the  car  threw  me  against  you." 

The  Russian,  before  answering,  cast  a  look  at 
the  floor  and  saw  the  large  envelope  lying  there 
with  its  seal  uppermost.  He  quietly  placed  his 
huge  foot  upon  it,  and  then  said,  with  an  effort  at 
politeness, — 

"  It  is  no  matter,  madam.  I  fear  I  am  so  bulky 
that  I  have  taken  up  most  of  the  passage." 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you  to  excuse  me,"  said  Jen- 
nie ;  "  I  merely  came  out  to  ask  the  conductor  if 
he  would  make  up  Iny  berth.  Would  you  be  good 
enough  to  translate  that  to  him  ?  " 

The  Russian  surlily  told  the  conductor  to  attend 
to  the  wants  of  the  lady.  The  conductor  muttered 
a  reply,  and  that  reply  the  Russian  translated. 

"  He  will  be  at  your  service  in  a  few  moments, 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.     295 


olding 
stood 
ippari- 
n  the 
d  by  a 
;  Corn- 
nth  of 


h 


I'm 


u. 

look  at 
ig  there 
ced  his 
effort  at 

bulky 

lid  Jen- 
uctor  if 
56  good 

attend 
luttered 

ed. 
oments, 


madam.  He  must  first  make  up  the  berth  of  the 
gentleman  in  Room  A." 

*'  Oh,  thank  you  very  much,"  returned  Jennie. 
"  I  am  in  no  hurry  ;  any  time  within  the  hour  will 
do." 

With  that  she  retired  again  into  her  compartment, 
the  real  letter  concealed  in  the  folds  of  her  dress, 
the  bogus  one  on  the  floor  under  the  Russian's  foot. 
She  closed  the  door  tightly,  then,  taking  care  that 
she  was  not  observed  through  either  of  the  holes 
the  conductor  had  bored  in  the  partition,  she 
swiftly  placed  the  important  document  in  a  deep 
inside  pocket  of  her  jacket.  As  a  general  rule, 
women  have  inside  pockets  in  their  capes,  and  out- 
side pockets  in  their  jackets;  but  Jennie,  dealing 
as  she  did  with  many  documents  in  the  course  of 
her  profession,  had  had  this  jacket  especially  made, 
with  its  deep  and  roomy  inside  pocket.  She  sat  on 
a  corner  of  the  sofa,  wondering  what  was  to  be  the 
fate  of  the  unfortunate  messenger,  for,  in  spite  of 
the  sudden  shutting  of  the  door  by  the  Russian, 
she  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  man  lying  face  down- 
wards on  the  floor  of  his  stifling  room.  She  also 
had  received  a  whifl  of  the  sweet,  heavy  gas  which 
had  been  used,  that  seemed  now  to  be  tincturing 
the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  car,  especially  in  the 


Vi^ 


ill] 


296     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

long  narrow  passage.  It  was  not  likely  they  in. 
tended  to  kill  the  man,  for  his  death  would  cause 
an  awkward  investigation,  while  his  statement  that 
he  had  been  rendered  insensible  might  easily  be 
denied.  As  she  sat  there,  the  silence  disturbed 
only  by  the  low,  soothing  rumble  of  the  train,  she 
heard  the  ring  of  the  metal  cyHnder  against  the 
woodwork  of  the  next  compartment.  The  men 
were  evidently  removing  their  apparatus.  A  httle 
later  thf*  train  slowed,  finally  coming  to  a  standstill, 
and  looking  out  of  the  window  into  the  darkness, 
she  found  they  were  stopping  at  an  ill-lighted 
country  station.  Covering  the  light  in  the  ceiling 
again,  the  better  to  see  outside,  herself  unobserved, 
she  noted  the  conductor  and  another  man  place  the 
bulky  cylinder  on  the  platform,  without  the  slightest 
effort  at  concealment.  The  tall  Russian  stood  by 
and  gave  curt  orders.  An  instant  later  the  train 
moved  on  again,  and  when  well  under  way  there 
was  a  rap  at  her  door.  When  she  opened  it,  the 
conductor  said  that  he  would  make  up  her  berth 
now,  if  it  so  pleased  her.  She  stood  out  in  the 
corridor  while  this  was  deftly  and  swiftly  done. 
She  could  not  restrain  her  curiosity  regarding  the 
mysterious  occupant  of  Room  A,  and  to  satisfy  it 
she  walked  slowly  up  and  down  the  corridor,  her 


M\ 


r. 

they  in. 
Id  cause 
lent  that 
easily  be 
listurbed 
train,  she 
ainst  the 
rhe  men 
A  little 
standstill, 
darkness, 
ill-lighted 
he  ceiling 
nobservcd, 
^  place  the 
slightest 
stood  by 
the  train 
way  there 
ned  it,  the 
her  berth 
out  in  the 
ftly  done, 
[arding  the 
satisfy  it 
•rddor,  her 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      297 

hands  behind  her,  passing  and  repassing  the  open 
door  of  her  room,  and  noticing  that  ever  and  anon 
the  conductor  cast  a  suspicious  eye  in  her  direction. 

The  door  of  Room  A  was  partly  open,  but  the 
shaded  lamp  in  the  ceiling  left  the  interior  in  dark- 
ness. There  was  now  no  trace  of  the  intoxicating 
gas  in  the  corridor,  and  as  she  passed  Room  A  she 
noticed  that  a  fresh  breeze  was  blowing  through  the 
half-open  doorway,  therefore  the  window  must  be  up. 
Once  as  she  passed  her  own  door  she  saw  the  con- 
ductor  engaged  in  a  task  which  would  keep  him 
from  looking  into  the  corridor  for  at  least  a  minute, 
and  in  that  interval  she  set  her  doubts  at  rest  by 
putting  her  head  swiftly  into  Room  A,  and  as 
swiftly  withdrawing  it.  The  man  had  been  lifted  on 
to  his  sofa,  and  lay  with  his  face  towards  the  wall, 
his  head  on  a  pillow.  The  despatch-box  rested  on  a 
corner  of  the  sofa,  where,  doubtless,  he  had  left  it. 
He  was  breathing  heavily  like  a  man  in  a  drunken 
sleep  ;  but  the  air  of  the  room  was  sweet  and  fresh, 
and  he  would  doubtless  recover. 

Jennie  still  paced  up  and  down,  pondering  deeply 
over  what  had  happened.  At  first,  when  she  had 
secured  the  important  document,  she  had  made  up 
her  mind  to  return  it  to  the  messenger  ;  but  further 
meditation  induced  her  to  change  her  mind.    The 


298     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

messenger  had  been  robbed  by  the  Russian  police ; 
he  would  tell  his  superiors  exactly  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  yet  the  letter  would  roach  its  destina- 
tion as  speedily  as  if  he  had  brought  it  himself — as 
if  he  had  never  been  assaulted.  Knowing  the 
purpose  which  Mr.  Hardwick  had  in  his  mind,  Jennie 
saw  that  the  letter  now  was  of  tenfold  more  value 
to  him  than  it  would  have  been  had  she  taken  it 
fiom  the  messenger.  It  was  evident  that  the 
British  Embassy,  or  the  messenger  himself,  had 
suspicions  that  an  attempt  was  to  be  made  to  obtain 
the  document,  otherwise  Room  C  of  the  sleeping 
car  would  not  have  been  changed  for  Room  A  at 
the  very  last  moment.  If,  then,  the  editor  could 
say  to  the  ofHcial,  "The  Russian  police  robbed 
your  messenger  in  spite  of  all  the  precautions  that 
could  be  taken,  and  My  emissary  cozened  the  Rus- 
sians. So,  you  see,  I  have  accomplished  what  the 
whole  power  of  the  British  Government  was  power- 
less to  effect ;  therefore  it  will  be  wisdom  on  your 
part  to  come  to  terms  with  me." 

Jennie  resolved  to  relate  to  Hardwick  exactly 
how  she  came  into  possession  of  the  document,  and 
she  knew  his  alert  nature  well  enough  to  be  sure  he 
would  make  the  most  of  the  trump  card  dealt  to 
him. 


JENNIES  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.     299 

"Your  room  is  ready  for  you,"  said  the  conduc- 
tor in  French. 

She  had  the  presence  of  mind  enough  not  to  com- 
prehend his  phrase  until,  with  a  motion  of  his  hand, 
he  explained  his  meaning.  She  entered  her  com- 
partment and  closed  the  door. 

Having  decided  what  disposal  to  make  of  the 
important  document,  there  now  arose  in  her  mind 
the  disquieting  problem  whether  or  not  it  would  be 
allowed  to  remain  with  her.  She  cogitated  over 
the  situation  and  tried  to  work  out  the  mental 
arithmetic  of  it.  Trains  were  infrequent  on  the 
Russian  railways,  and  she  had  no  means  of  estimat- 
ing when  the  burly  ruffian  who  had  planned  and 
''xecuted  the  robbery  would  get  back  to  St.  Peters- 
burg. There  was  no  doubt  that  he  had  not  the  right 
to  open  the  letter  and  read  its  contents ;  that  privi- 
lege rested  with  some  higher  official  in  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  two  men  had  got  ofif  at  the  first 
stopping  place.  It  was  quite  possible  that  they 
would  not  reach  the  capital  until  next  morning, 
when  the  Berlin  express  would  be  well  on  its  way 
to  the  frontier.  Once  over  the  frontier  she  would 
be  safe  ;  but  the  moment  it  was  found  that  the 
purloined  envelope  merely  contained  a  copy  of 
an   English  newspaper,  what  might   not  happen? 


I'i  1 


v.,  f| 


300     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Would  the  Russian  authorities  dare  telegraph  to 
the  frontier  to  have  her  searched,  or  would  the  big 
official  who  had  planned  the  robbery  suspect  that 
she,  by  legerdemain,  had  become  possessed  of  the 
letter  so  much  sought  for  ?  Even  if  he  did  suspect 
her,  he  would  certainly  have  craft  enough  not  to 
adpiit  it.  His  game  would  rather  be  to  maintain 
that  this  was  the  veritable  document  found  in  the 
Englishman's  despatch-box ;  and  it  was  more  than 
likely,  taking  into  consideration  the  change  of  room 
at  the  last  moment,  which  would  show  the  officials 
the  existence  of  suspicion  in  the  messenger's  mind, 
or  in  the  minds  of  those  who  sent  him,  the  natural 
surmise  would  be  that  another  messenger  had  gone 
with  the  real  document,  and  that  the  robbed  man 
was  merely  a  blind  to  delude  the  Russian  police. 
In  any  case,  Jennie  concluded,  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  to  do  but  to  remain  awake  all  night  and 
guard  the  treasure  which  good  luck  had  bestowed 
upon  her.  She  stood  up  on  her  bed,  about  to  stuff 
her  handkerchief  into  the  hole  bored  in  the  parti- 
tion, but  suddenly  paused  and  came  down  to  the 
floor  again.  No,  discomforting  as  it  was  to  remain 
in  a  room  under  possible  espionage,  she  dared  not 
stop  the  openings,  as  that  would  show  she  had  cog- 
nisance of  them,  and  arouse  the  conductor's  suspi- 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      301 


cion  that,  after  all,  she  had  understood  what  had 
been  said ;  whereas,  if  she  left  them  as  they  were, 
the  fact  of  her  doing  so  would  be  strong  confirma- 
tion of  her  ignorance.  She  took  from  her  bag  a 
scarf,  tied  one  end  round  her  wrist  and  the  other  to 
the  door,  so  that  it  could  not  be  opened,  should  she 
fall  asleep,  without  awakening  her.  Before  en- 
trenching herself  thus,  she  drew  the  eyelids  down 
over  the  lamp,  and  left  her  room  in  darkness. 
Then,  if  anyone  did  spy  upon  her  they  would  not 
see  the  dark  scarf  whict  united  her  wrist  with  the 
door. 

In  spite  of  the  danger  of  her  situation,  she  had 
the  utmost  difficulty  in  keeping  awake.  The  rum- 
ble of  the  train  had  a  very  somnolent  effect,  and 
once  or  twice  she  started  up,  fearing  that  she  had 
been  slumbering.  Once  she  experienced  a  tighten- 
ing sensation  in  her  throat,  and  sprang  to  the  floor, 
seeing  the  rising  gas  somehow  made  visible,  the 
colour  of  blood.  The  scarf  drew  her  to  her  knees, 
and  for  a  moment  she  thought  someone  clutched 
her  wrist.  Panting,  she  undid  the  scarf  and  flooded 
the  room  with  light.  Her  heart  was  beating  wildly, 
but  all  was  still,  save  the  ever  present  rumble  of 
the  train  rushing  through  the  darkness  over  the 
boundless  plains  of  Russia.     She  looked  at  her  tiny 


I     ' 


!       'I 
I       J 


I     II 


iiill! 


ii 


I 


I      ! 


302     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

watch,  it  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  She 
knew  then  that  she  must  have  fallen  asleep  in  spite 
of  her  strong  resolutions.  The  letter  was  still  in 
the  inside  pocket  of  her  jacket,  and  all  was  well  at 
two  in  the  morning.  No  eye  appeared  at  either  of 
the  apertures,  so  she  covered  up  the  light  once 
more  and  lay  down  again,  sighing  to  think  how 
rumpled  her  dainty  costume  would  look  in  the 
morning.  Now  she  was  resolved  not  to  go  to 
sleep,  if  force  of  will  could  keep  her  awake.  A 
moment  later  she  was  startled  by  someone  beating 
down  the  partition  with  an  axe.  She  sprang  up, 
and  again  the  scarf  pulled  her  back.  She  untied  it 
from  her  wrist  and  noticed  that  daylight  flooded 
the  compartment.  This  amazed  her  ;  how  could  it 
be  daylight  so  soon  ?  Had  she  been  asleep  again, 
and  was  the  fancied  battering  at  the  door  with  an 
axe  merely  the  conclusion  of  a  dream  caused  by 
the  conductor's  knock'  After  a  breathless  pause 
there  came  a  gentle  rap  on  her  door,  and  the  voice 
of  the  conductor  said, — 

"  Breakfast  at  Luga,  madame,  in  three-quarters  of 
an  hour." 

"  Very  good,"  she  replied  in  English,  her  voice 
trembling  with  fear.  Slowly  she  untied  the  scarf 
from  the  door  and  placed  it  in  her  handbag.     Slie 


JENNIE'S  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY.      303 

shivered  notwithstanding  her  effort  at  self-control 
for  she  knew  she  had  slept  through  the  night,  and 
far  into  the  morning.  In  agitation  she  unbuttoned 
her  jacket.  Yes ;  there  was  the  letter,  just  where 
she  had  placed  it.  She  dare  not  take  it  out  and  ex- 
amine it,  fearing  still  that  she  might  be  watched 
from  some  unseen  quarter,  but  "  Thank  God,"  she 
said  to  herself  fervently,  "  this  horrible  night  is 
ended.  Once  over  the  frontier  I  am  safe."  She 
smoothed  and  brushed  down  her  dress  as  well  as  she 
was  able,  and  was  greatly  refreshed  by  her  wash  in 
cold  water,  which  is  one  of  the  luxuries,  not  the 
least  acceptable,  on  a  sleeping  car. 


li 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


JENNIE  EXPERIENCES  THE   SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  long  train  came  to  a  stand- 
still, rjventeen  minutes  late  at  Luga,  and  ample 
time  was  allowed  for  a  leisurely  breakfast  in  the 
buffet  of  the  station.  The  restaurant  was  thronged 
with  numerous  passengers,  most  of  whom  seemed 
hardly  yet  awake,  while  many  were  unkempt  and 
dishevelled,  as  if  they  had  had  little  sleep  during 
the  night. 

Jennie  found  a  small  table  and  sat  down  beside 
it,  ordering  her  coffee  and  rolls  from  the  waiter  who 
came  to  serve  her.  Looking  round  at  the  cosmo- 
politan company,  and  listening  to  the  many  lan- 
guages, whose  clash  gave  a  Babel  air  to  the 
restaurant,  Jennie  fell  to  musing  on  the  strange 
experiences  she  had  encountered  since  leaving 
London.  It  seemed  to  her  she  had  been  taking 
part  in  some  ghastly  nightmare,  and  she  shuddered 
as  she  thought  of  the  lawlessness,  under  cover  of 
law,  of  this  great  and  despotic  empire,  where  even 
the  ruler  was  under  the  surveillance  of  his  subordi- 


JENNIE'S  SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE.    305 


;r  life. 

a  stand- 
i  ample 
t  in  the 
hronged 
seemed 
mpt  and 
p  during 

m  beside 

liter  who 
cosmo- 

lany  lan- 
to  the 
strange 
leaving 

|n  taking 

uddered 

cover  of 

re  even 

subordi- 


nates, and  could  not  get  a  letter  out  of  his  own 
dominion  in  safety,  were  he  so  minded.  In  her 
day-dream  she  became  conscious,  without  noting 
its  application  to  herself,  that  a  man  was  standing 
before  her  table;  then  a  voice  which  made  her 
heart  stop  said, — 

"  Ah,  lost  Princess  ! " 

She  placed  her  hand  suddenly  to  her  throat,  for 
the  catch  in  her  breath  seemed  to  be  suffocating 
her,  then  looked  up  and  saw  Lord  Donal  Stirling, 
in  the  ordinary  everyday  dress  of  an  English  gen- 
tleman, as  well  groomed  as  if  he  had  come,  not 
from  a  train,  but  from  his  own  house.  There  was 
a  kindly  smile  on  his  lips  and  a  sparkle  in  his  eyes, 
but  his  face  was  of  ghastly  pallour. 

"Oh,  Lord  Donal!"  she  cried,  regarding  him 
with  eyes  of  wonder  and  fear,  "  what  is  wrong  with 
you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  the  young  man  replied,  with  an 
attempt  at  a  laugh;  "nothing,  now  that  I  have 
found  you.  Princess.  I  have  been  making  a  night 
of  it,  that's  all,  and  am  suffering  the  consequences 
in  the  morning.     May  I  sit  down  ?  " 

He  dropped  into  a  chair  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table,  like  a  man  thoroughly  exhausted,  unable  to 
stand  longer,  and  went  on, — 


mm 


3o6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  Like  all  dissipated  men,  I  am  going  to  break 
my  fast  on  stimulants.  Waiter,"  he  said,  "bring 
me  a  large  glass  of  your  best  brandy." 

"And,  waiter,"  interjected  Jennie  in  French, 
"  bring  two  breakfasts.  I  suppose  it  was  not  a 
meal  that  you  ordered  just  now,  Lord  Donal  ?  " 

"  I  have  ordered  my  breakfast,"  he  said ;  "  still, 
it  pleads  in  my  favour  that  I  do  not  carry  brandy 
with  me,  as  I  ought  to  do,  and  so  must  drink  the 
vile  stuff  they  call  their  best  here." 

"You  should  eat  as  well,"  she  insisted,  taking 
charge  of  him  as  if  she  had  every  right  to  do  so. 

"All  shall  be  as  you  say,  now  that  I  have  the 
happiness  of  seeing  you  sitting  opposite  me,  but 
don't  be  surprised  if  I  show  a  most  unappreciative 
appetite." 

"What  is  the  matter?"  she  asked  breathlessly. 
"You  ctrtainly  look  very  ill." 

"  I  have  been  drugged  and  robbed,"  he  replied, 
lowering  his  voice.  **  I  imagine  I  came  to  close 
quarters  with  death  itself.  I  have  spent  a  night  in 
Hades,  and  this  morning  am  barely  able  to  stagger ; 

but  the  sight  of  you,  Princess Ah,  well,  I  feel 

once  more  that  I  belong  to  the  land  of  the  living !  " 

"Please  do  not  call  me  Princess,"  said  the  girl, 
looking  down  at  the  tablecloth. 


T. 


JENNIE'S  SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE.  307 


0  break 
"  bring 

French, 
,s  not  a 
il?" 
I;  "Still, 
y  brandy 
irink  the 

d,  taking 
do  so. 
have  the 
i  me,  but 
preciative 

athlessly. 

[e  replied, 
to   close 

|a  night  in 

stagger ; 

'ell,  I  feel 

living ! " 

the  girl, 


"  Then  what  am  I  to  call  you.  Princess  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Jennie  Baxter,"  she  said  in  a  low 
voice. 

'*Miss  Jennie  Baxter?"  he  asked  eagerly,  with 
emphasis  on  the  first  word. 

"Miss  Jennie  Baxter,"  she  answered,  still  not 
looking  up  at  him. 

He  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said, — 

"Well,  this  is  not  such  a  bad  world,  after  all. 
To  think  of  meeting  you  here  in  Russia!  You 
have  been  in  St.  Petersburg,  then  ?  " 

"Yes.  I  am  a  newspaper  woman,"  explained 
Jennie,  hurriedly.  "  When  you  met  me  before,  I 
was  there  surreptitiously — fraudulently,  if  you  like  ; 
I  was  there  to — to  write  a  repo  of  it  for  my  paper. 
I  can  never  thank  you  enough.  Lord  Donal,  for 
your  kindness  to  me  that  evening." 

"  Your  thanks  are  belated,"  said  the  young  man, 
with  a  vis'ible  attempt  at  gaiety.  "You  should 
have  written  and  acknowledged  the  kindness  you 
are  good  enough  to  say  I  rendered  to  you.  You 
knew  my  address,  and  etiquette  demanded  that  you 
should  make  your  acknowledgments." 

"  I  was  reluctant  to  write,"  said  Jennie,  a  smile 
hovering  round  her  lips,  "  fearing  my  letter  might 


( 


308     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

act  as  a  clue.  I  had  no  wish  to  interfere  with  the 
legitimate  business  of  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor." 

"  Great  Heavens  !  "  cried  the  young  man,  "how 
came  you  to  know  about  that  ?  But  of  course  the 
Princess  von  Steinheimer  told  you  of  it.  She  wrote 
to  me  charging  me  with  all  sorts  of  wickedness  for 
endeavouring  to  find  you." 

"  No,  Lord  Donal,  I  did  not  learn  it  from  her. 
In  fact,  if  you  had  opened  the  door  of  the  inner  room 
at  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor's  a  little  quicker,  you  would 
have  come  upon  me,  for  I  was  the  assistant  who 
tried  to  persuade  him  that  you  really  met  the  Prin- 
cess von  Steinheimer." 

Lord  Donal,  for  the  first  time,  laughed  heartily. 

"  Well,  if  that  doesn't  beat  all  !  And  I  suppose 
Cadbury  Taylor  hasn't  the  slightest  suspicion  that 
you  are  the  person  he  was  looking  for  ?  " 

"  No,  not  the  slightest." 

"  I  say !  that  is  the  best  joke  I  have  heard  in  ten 
years,"  said  Lord  Donal ;  and  here,  breakfast  arriv- 
ing, Jennie  gave  him  his  directions. 

"You  are  to  drink  a  small  portion  of  that 
brandy,"  she  said,  "  and  then  put  the  rest  in  your 
coffee.  You  must  eat  a  good  breakfast,  and  that 
will  help  you  to  forget  your  troubles — that  is,  if 
you  have  any  real  trou'  >le^." 


JENNIE'S  SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE.  309 

*'0h,  my  troubles  are  real  enough,"  said  the 
young  man.  "  When  I  met  you  before,  Princess,  I 
was  reasonably  successful.  We  even  talked  about 
ambassadorships,  didn't  we,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
ambassadors  were  making  themselves  unnecessarily 
obtrusive  that  night  ?  Now  you  see  before  you  a 
ruined  man.  No,  I  am  not  joking ;  it  is  true.  I 
was  given  a  commission,  or,  rather,  knowing  the 
danger  there  was  in  it,  I  begged  that  the  commis- 
sion might  be  given  me.  It  was  merely  to  take  a 
letter  from  St.  Petersburg  to  London.  I  have  failed, 
and  when  that  is  said,  all  is  said." 

"  But  surely,"  cried  the  girl,  blushing  guiltily  as 
she  realised  that  this  was  the  man  she  had  been 
sent  to  rob,  "  you  could  not  be  expected  to  ward 
off  such  a  lawless  attempt  at  murder  as  you  have 
been  the  victim  of  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  I  expected,  and  what  I  sup- 
posed I  could  ward  off.  In  my  profession — which, 
after  all,  has  a  great  similarity  to  yours,  except 
that  I  think  we  have  to  do  more  lying  in  ours — 
there  must  be  no  such  word  as  fail.  The  very  best 
excuses  are  listened  to  with  tolerance,  perhaps, 
and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders ;  but  failure,  no  matter 
from  what  cause,  is  fell  doom.  I  have  failed.  I 
shall  not  make  any  excuses.     I  will  go  to  London 


I 


310     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

and  say  merely,  *  The  Russian  police  have  robbed 
me.'  Oh,  I  know  perfectly  well  who  did  the  trick, 
and  how  it  was  done.  Then  I  shall  send  in  my 
resignation.  They  will  accept  it  with  polite  words 
of  regret,  and  will  say  to  each  other,  *  Poor  fellow, 
he  had  a  brilliant  career  before  him,  but  he  got 
drunl:,  or  something,  and  fell  into  the  ditch.'  Ah, 
well,  we  won't  talk  any  more  about  it." 

"  Then  you  don't  despise  the  newspaper  profes- 
sion, Lord  Donal  ?  " 

"  Despise  it !  Bless  you,  no ;  I  look  up  to  it, 
belonging  myself  to  a  profession  very  much  lower 
down  in  the  scale  of  morality,  as  I  have  said.  But, 
Princess,"  he  added,  leaning  towards  her,  "  will  you 
resign  from  the  newspaper  if  I  resign  from,  diplo- 
macy ?  " 

The  girl  slowly  shook  her  head,  her  eyes  on  the 
tablecloth  before  her. 

"  I  will  telegraph  my  resignation,"  he  said  im- 
petuously,  "  if  you  will  telegraph  yours  to  your 
paper." 

"  You  are  feeling  ill  and  worried  this  morning. 
Lord  Donal,  and  so  you  take  a  pessimistic  view  of 
life.    You  must  not  resign." 

"  Oh,  but  I  must.  I  have  failed,  and  that  is 
enough." 


bbed 
trick, 
n  my 
ATords 
ellow, 
e  got 
Ah, 

profcs- 

to  it, 

lower 

But, 

rill  you 

1  diplo- 

on  the 

lid  im- 
3  your 

orning, 
/iew  of 

that  is 


JENNIE'S  SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE.   311 

"  It  isn't  enough.  You  munt  do  nothing  until 
you  reach  London." 

"  I  like  your  word  must,  Jennie,"  said  the  young 
man  audaciously.  "It  implies  something,  you 
know." 

"What  does  it  imply.  Lord  Donal?"  she  asked 
glancing  up  at  him. 

"  It  implies  that  you  are  going  to  leave  the*  Lord  ' 
off  my  name." 

"  That  wouldn't  be  very  difficult,"  replied  Jennie. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  so,"  exclaimed 
his  lordship ;  "  and  now,  that  I  may  know  how  it 
sounds  from  your  dear  lips,  call  me  Don." 

"  No ;  if  I  ever  consented  to  omit  the  title,  I 
should  call  you  Donal.  I  like  the  name  in  its 
entirety." 

He  reached  his  hand  across  the  table.  "  Are  you 
willing  then,  to  accept  a  man  at  the  very  lowest  ebb 
of  his  fortunes  ?  I  know  that  if  I  were  of  the  mould 
that  heroes  are  made  of,  I  would  hesitate  to  proffer 
you  a  blighted  life.  But  I  loved  you  the  moment 
I  saw  you ;  and,  remembering  my  fruitless  search 
for  you,  I  cannot  run  the  risk  of  losing  you  again  ; 
I  have  not  the  couras^e." 

She  placed  her  hand  in  his  and  looked  him,  for 
th«  first  time,  squarely  in  tha  eyM. 


*». ■■ — 


312     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"Are  you  sure,  Donal,"  she  said,  "  that  I  am  not 
a  mere  effigy  on  which  you  are  hanging  the  worn- 
out  garments  of  a  past  affection  ?  You  thought  I 
was  the  Princess  at  first." 

"  No,  I  didn't,"  he  protested.  "  As  soon  as  I 
heard  you  speak,  I  knew  you  were  the  one  I  was 
destined  to  meet." 

"  Ah,  Donal,  Donal,  at  lovers'  perjuries  they  say 
Jove  laughs.  I  don't  think  you  were  quite  so 
certain  as  all  that.  But  I,  too,  am  a  coward,  and 
I  dare  not  refuse  you." 

Lord  Donal  glanced  quickly  about  him ;  the 
room  was  still  crowded.  Even  the  Berlin  Express 
gave  them  a  long  time  for  breakfast,  and  was  in  no 
hurry  to  move  westward.  His  hurried  gaze  returned 
to  her  and  he  sighed. 

"  What  an  unholy  spot  for  a  proposal  I  "  he 
whispered ;  "  and  yet  they  call  Russia  the  Great 
Lone  Land.  Oh,  that  we  had  a  portion  of  it  entirely 
to  ourselves ! " 

The  girl  sat  there,  a  smile  on  her  pretty  lips  that 
Lord  Donal  thought  most  tantalising.  A  railway 
official  announced  in  a  loud  voice  that  the  train 
was  about  to  resume  its  journey.  There  was  a 
general  shuffling  of  feet  as  the  passengers  rose  to 
take  their  places. 


JENNIE'S  SURPRISE  OF  HER  LIFE.   313 


n  not 
worn- 
ightl 

as  I 
I  was 

ey  say 
ite  so 
d,  and 

n;  the 
.xpress 
.s  in  no 
pturned 

X 1 "  he 
Great 
ntirely 

ips  that 
Irailway 

ie  train 
was  a 

Irose  to 


"  Brothers  and  sisters  kiss  each  other,  you  know, 
on  the  eve  of  a  railway  journey,"  said  Lord  Donal,  • 
taking  advantage  of  the  confusion. 

Jennie  Baxter  made  no  protest. 

"  There  is  plenty  of  time,"  he  whispered.  "  I 
know  the  leisurely  nature  of  Russian  trains.  Now 
I  am  going  to  the  telegraph  office  to  send  in  my 
resignation,  and  I  want  you  to  come  with  me  and 
senJ  in  yours." 

"  No,  Lord  D<  iial,"  said  the  girl. 

"Aren't  you  going  to  resign  ?"  he  asked,  in  sur- 
prise. 

"  Yes,  all  in  good  time ;  but  }fou  are  not." 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  he  cried,  "  it  is  really  imperative. 
I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  when  we  get  on  the  train." 

"  It  is  really  imperative  that  you  should  not 
send  in  your  resignation.  Indeed,  Donal,  you  need 
noi  look  at  me  with  that  surprised  air.  You  may 
as  well  get  accustomed  to  dictation  at  once.  You 
did  it  yourself,  you  know.  You  can't  say  that  I 
encouraged  you.  I  eluded  the  vigilant  Cadbury 
Taylor  as  long  as  I  could.  But,  if  there  is  time,  go 
to  the  telegraph  office  and  send  a  message  to  the 
real  Princess,  Palace  Steinheimer,  Vienna.  Say  you 
are  engaged  to  be  married  to  Jennie  Baxter,  and  ask 
her  to  telegraph  you  her  congratulations  at  Berlin." 


314     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

"  I'll  do  it,"  replied  the  young  man  with  gratify- 
ing alacrity. 

When  Lord  Donal  came  out  of  the  telegraph 
office,  Jennie  said  to  him,  "  Wait  a  moment  while  I 
go  into  the  sleeping  car  and  get  my  rugs  and 
handbag." 

"  I'll  go  for  them,"  he  cried  impetuously. 

"Oh,  no,"  she  said.  "I'll  tell  you  v.  y  later. 
The  conductor  is  a  villain  and  was  in  collusion  with 
the  police." 

"  Oh,  I  know  that,"  said  Lord  Donal.  "  Poor 
devil,  he  can't  help  himself ;  he  must  do  what  the 
police  order  him  to  do,  while  he  is  in  Russia." 

"  I'll  get  my  things  and  go  into  an  ordinary  first 
class  carriage.  When  I  pass  this  door,  you  must 
get  your  belongings  and  come  and  find  me.  There 
is  still  time,  and  I  don't  want  the  conductor  to  see 
us  together." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  young  man  with  exem- 
plary obedience. 


atify- 


graph 
hile  I 
s  and 


later, 
n  with 

"  Poor 
hat  the 

iry  first 
u  must 
There 
to  see 

exem- 


CHAPTER  XX. 

JENNIE     CONVERSES      ^ITH    A    YOUNG     MAN     SHE 
THINKS   MUCH  OF. 

When  the  train  started,  they  were  seated  together 
in  a  carriage  far  forward. 

"One  of  my  failings,"  said  the  girl,  "is  to  act 
first,  and  think  afterwards.  I  am  sorry  now  that  I 
asked  you  to  send  that  telegram  to  the  Princess." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  j'ou,  and 
perhaps  you  may  wish  to  withdraw  from  the  rash 
engagement  you  have  undertaken." 

"  A  likely  thing !  "  cried  the  ardent  lover.  "  In- 
deed, Miss  Princess,  if  you  think  you  can  get  rid  of 
me  as  easily  as  all  that,  you  are  very  much  mis- 
taken." 

"  Well,  I  want  to  tell  you  why  I  did  not  allow 
you  to  resign." 

Slowly  she  undid  the  large  buttons  of  her  jacket, 
then,  taking  it  by  the  lapel  and  holding  it  so  that 
no  one  else  could  see,  she  drew  partly  forth  from 
th^  inside  pocket    the  large  envelope,  until  the 


'19  i| 

;  ^  'I 


:'i:  1 


i:? 


'  ti 


3i6     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

stamp  of  the  Embassy  was  plainly  visible.  Lord 
Donal's  eyes  opened  to  their  widest  capacity,  and 
his  breath  seemed  to  stop. 

"Great  heavens !"  he  gasped  at  last,  "do  you 
mean  to  say  you  have  it  ?  " 

"Yes,"  she  said,  buttoning  up  her  jacket  again. 
"  I  robbed  the  robbers.  Listen,  and  I  will  tell  you 
all  that  happened.     But,  first,  are  you  armed  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  have  a  trumpery  revolver 
in  my  pocket ;  little  good  it  did  me  last  night." 

"Very  well,  we  shall  be  across  the  frontier  by 
noon  to-day.  If  the  Russian  authorities  find  before 
that  time  how  they  have  been  checkmated,  and  if 
they  have  any  suspicion  that  I  am  the  cause  of  it, 
is  it  not  likely  they  will  have  me  stopped  and 
searched  on  some  pretence  or  other  ?  " 

Lord  Donal  pondered  for  a  moment.  "  They 
are  quite  capable  of  it,"  he  said ;  "  but  Jennie,  I 
will  fight  for  you  against  the  whole  Russian  Empire, 
and  somebody  will  get  hurt  if  you  are  meddled 
with.  The  police  will  hesitate,  however,  before 
interfering  with  a  messenger  from  the  Embassy,  or 
anyone  in  his  charge  in  broad  day-light  on  a 
crowded  train.  We  will  not  go  back  into  that  car 
but  stay  here,  where  some  of  our  fellow-country- 
men arc," 


JENNIE'S  CONVERSATION.  317 


"That  is  what  I  was  going  to  propose,"  said  Jen- 
nie. "  And  now  listen  to  the  story  I  have  to  tell 
you,  and  then  you  will  know  why  I  came  to 
Russia." 

"  Don't  tell  me  anything  you  would  rather  not," 
said  the  young  man  hurriedly. 

"I  would  rather  not,  but  it  must  be  told," 
answered  the  girl. 

The  story  lasted  a  long  time,  and  when  it  was 
ended  the  young  man  cried  enthusiastically  in 
answer  to  her  question, — 

"  Blame  you  ?  Why,  of  course  I  don't  blame 
you  in  the  slightest.  It  wasn't  Hardwick  who  sent 
you  here  at  all,  but  Providence.  Providence 
brought  us  together,  Jennie,  and  my  belief  in  it 
hereafter  will  be  unshaken." 

Jennie  laughed  a  contented  little  laugh,  and  said 
she  was  flattered  at  being  considered  an  envoy  of 
Providence. 

"It  is  only  another  way  of  saying  you  are  an 
angel,  Jennie,"  remarked  the  bold  young  man. 

They  crossed  the  irontier  without  interference, 
and,  once  in  Germany,  Jennie  took  the  object  of 
so  much  contention  and  placed  it  in  the  hands  of 
her  lover. 

"  There,"  she  whispered,   with  a  tiny  sigh,  for 


liiili 


i!i 


I 


318     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

she  was  giving  up  the  fruits  of  her  greatest  achieve- 
ment, "  put  that  in  your  despatch-box,  and  see  that 
it  doesn't  leave  that  receptable  until  you  reach  Lon- 
don. I  hope  the  Russians  will  like  the  copy  of  the 
Daily  Bugle  they  find  in  their  envelope." 

The  two  chatted  together  throughout  the  long 
ride  to  Berlin,  and  when,  11  p.  m.  and  the  Schlei- 
scher  station  came  at  last,  they  still  seemed  only 
to  have  begun  their  conversation,  so  much  more 
remained  to  be  told. 

The  telegram  from  the  Princess  was  handed  to 
Lord  Donal  at  Berlin. 

"  I  congratulate  you  most  sincerely,"  she  wired, 
"  and  tell  Jennie  the  next  time  you  see  her " — 
Lord  Donal  laughed  a  little  as  he  read  this  aloud, — 
"  that  the  Austrian  Government  has  awarded  her  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  her  share 
in  enabling  them  to  recover  their  gold,  and  little 
enough  I  think  it  is,  considering  what  she  has 
done." 

"Now,  I  call  that  downright  handsome  of  the 
Austrian  Government,"  cried  Lord  Donal.  "  I 
thought  they  were  going  to  fight  us  when  I  read 
the  speech  of  their  Prime  Minister,  but,  instead 
of  that,  they  are  making  wedding  presents  to  our 
nice  girls." 


JENNIE'S  CONVERSATION.  319 


oud, — 

erone 

share 

little 

e  has 

lof  the 

a.   "I 

I  read 
Instead 
to  our 


"  Ah,  that  comes  through  the  good-heartedness  of 
the  Princess,  and  the  kindness  of  the  Prince,"  said 
Jennie.    "  He  has  managed  it." 

"  But  what  in  the  world  did  you  do  for  the  Aus- 
trian Government,  Jennie  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  long  story,  Donal,  and  i  think  a  most 
interesting  one." 

"  Well,  let  us  thank  heaven  that  we  have  a  long 
journey  for  you  to  tell  it  and  me  to  listen." 

And  saying  this  the  unabashed,  forward  young 
man  took  the  liberty  of  kissing  his  fair  companion 
good-night,  right  there  amidst  all  the  turmoil  and 
bustle  of  the  Schleischer  Bahnhof  in  Berlin. 

It  was  early  in  the  morning  when  the  two  met 
again  in  the  restaurant  car.  The  train  had  passed 
Cologne  an-^  was  now  rushing  up  that  picturesque 
valley  through  which  runs  the  brawling  little  river 
Vesdre.  Lord  Donal  and  Jennie  had  the  car  to 
themselves,  and  they  chose  a  table  near  the  centre 
of  it  and  there  ordered  their  breakfast.  The  situa- 
tion was  a  most  picturesque  one.  The  broad,  clear 
plate  glass  windows  on  each  side  displayed,  in  rapid 
succession,  a  series  of  landscapes  well  worth  view- 
ing; the  densely  wooded  hills,  the  cheerful  country 
houses,  the  swift  roaring  stream  lashing  itself  into 
fleecy  foam ;  now  and  then  a  glimpse  of  an  old 


320     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 


ruined  castle  on  the  heights,  and,  in  the  deep  valley, 
here  and  there  a  water  mill. 

It  was  quite  evident  that  Jennie  had  slept  well, 
and,  youth  being  on  her  side,  her  rest  had  compen- 
sated for  the  nightmare  of  the  Russian  journey. 
She  war,  simply  but  very  effectively  dressed  and 
looked  as  fresh  and  pretty  and  cool  and  sweet  as  a 
snowdrop.  The  enchanted  young  man  found  it 
impossible  to  lure  his  eyes  away  from  her,  and 
when,  with  a  little  laugh,  Jennie  protested  that  he 
was  missing  all  the  fine  scenery,  he  answered  that 
he  had  something  much  more  beautiful  to  look 
upon;  whereat  Jennie  blushed  most  enticingly, 
smiled  at  him,  but  made  no  further  protest. 
Whether  it  was  his  joy  in  meeting  Jennie,  or  the 
result  of  his  night's  sleep,  or  his  relief  at  finding 
that  his  career  was  not  wrecked,  as  he  had  imagined, 
or  all  three  together,  Lord  Donal  seemed  his  old 
self  again,  and  was  as  bright,  witty,  and  cheerful  as 
a  boy  home  for  the  holidays.  Th^iy  enjoyed  their 
breakfast  with  the  relish  that  youth  and  a  healthy 
appetite  gives  to  a  dainty  meal  well  served.  The 
rolls  were  brown  and  toothsome,  the  butter,  in 
thick  corrugated  spirals,  was  of  a  delicious  golden 
colour,  cold  and  crisp.  The  coffee  was  all  that 
coffee  should  be,  and  the  waiter  was  silent  and 


1ST. 

eep  valley, 

slept  well, 
ad  compen- 
Ln  journey. 
Iressed   and 
I  sweet  as  a 
in   found   it 
m  her,  and 
sted  that  he 
iswered  that 
tiful  to  look 
t    enticingly, 
ther    protest, 
ennie,  or  the 
ef  at  finding 
lad  imagined, 
med  his  old 
id  cheerful  as 
:n joyed  their 
,nd  a  healthy 
served.    The 
Ihe  butter,   in 
llicious  golden 
was   all  that 
ras  silent  and 


'"WELL,  THIS  IS  JOI  LV,'  HE  SAIU."- /""i^  J-' /■. 


t 


s: 
c: 


)  ! 
I 


JENNIE'S  CONVERSATION.  321 

attentive.  Russia,  like  an  evil  vision,  was  far  be- 
hind, and  the  train  sped  through  splendid  scenery 
swiftly  towards  England  and  home. 

The  young  man  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  inter- 
laced his  fingers  behind  his  head,  and  gazed  across 
at  Jennie,  drawing  a  sigh  of  deep  satisfaction. 

"  Well,  this  is  jolly,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  murmured  Jennie,  "  it's  very  nice.  I  al- 
ways did  enjoy  foreign  travel,  especially  when  it 
can  be  done  in  luxury ;  but,  alas !  luxury  costs 
money,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  don't  need  to  mind,  you  are  rich." 

"  That  is  true  ;  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it." 

"  I  hope,  Jennie,  that  the  fact  of  my  travelling 
On  a  train  de  luxe  has  not  deluded  you  regarding 
my  wealth.  I  should  have  told  you  that  I  usually 
travel  third  class  when  I  am  transporting  myself  in 
my  private  capacity.  I  am  wringing  this  pampered 
elegance  from  the  reluctant  pockets  of  the  British 
taxpayer.  When  I  travel  for  the  British  Govern- 
ment I  say,  as  Pooh  Bah  said  to  Koko  in  the 
'  Mikado,'  *  Do  it  well,  my  boy,'  or  words  to  that 
effect." 

"  Indeed,"  laughed  Jennie,  "  I  am  in  a  somewhat 
similar  situation ;  the  newspaper  is  paying  all  the 
expenses  of  this  trip,  but  I  shall  insist  on  returning 


<    ii 


1 

) 


32-     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

the  money  to  the  Buj/e  now  that  I  have  failed  in 
my  mission." 

"  Dear  me,  how  much  more  honest  the  newspaper 
business  is  than  diplomacy !  The  idea  of  returning 
any  money  never  even  cccurred  to  me.  The  mere 
suggestion  freezes  my  yjung  blood  and  makes 
each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end  like  quills  upon 
the  fretful  porcupine.  Our  motto  in  the  service  is 
*  Get  all  you  can,  and  keep  all  you  get.* '' 

"  But,  then  you  see  your  case  differs  from  mine  ; 
you  did  your  best  to  succeed,  and  I  failed  through 
my  own  choice  ;  and  thus  7  sit  here  a  traitor  to  my 
paper.  * 

"  Well,  Jennie,"  said  the  young  man,  picking  up 
the  despatch-box,  which  he  never  allowed  to  leave 
his  sij'^'t,  and  placing  it  on  thj»  table,  "  you've  only 
to  say  the  word,  and  this  contentious  letter  is  in 
your  possession  again.  Do  you  regret  your  gener- 
osity?" 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no,  no,  I  would  not  have  it  back  on 
any  account.  Even  looking  at  the  matter  in  the 
most  materialistic  way,  success  means  far  more  to 
you  than  it  does  to  me.  As  you  say,  I  am  rich, 
therefore  I  am  going  to  give  up  my  newspaper 
career.  I  suppose  that  is  why  women  very  rarely 
make  great  successes  of  their  lives,    A  wom?in*s 


JENNIE'S  CONVERSATION.  333 


led  in 

spaper 
urning 
e  mere 
makes 
s  upon 
rvice  is 

1  mine ; 
:hrough 
rto  my 

king  up 
:o  leave 
've  only 
;er  is  in 
r  gener- 

>ack  on 
in  the 
[more  to 
im  rich, 
[wspaper 
j-y  rarely 
rom?in's 


career  so  often  is  merely  of  incidental  intere&t  to 
her  ;  a  man's  career  is  his  whole  life." 

"  What  a  pity  it  is,"  mused  the  you.ig  man, 
"  that  one  person's  success  usually  means  another 
person's  failure.  If  I  were  the  generous,  whole- 
souled  person  I  sometimes  imagine  myself  to  be,  I 
should  refuse  to  accept  success  at  the  price  of  your 
failure.  You  have  actually  succeeded,  while  I  have 
actually  failed.  With  a  generosity  that  makes  me 
feel  small  and  mean,  you  hand  over  your  success  to 
me,  and  I  selfishly  accept  it.  But  I  compound 
with  my  conscience  in  this  way.  You  and  I  are  to 
be  married  ;  then  we  will  be  one.  That  one  shall 
be  heir  to  all  the  successes  of  each  of  us  and  shall 
disclaim  all  the  failures  of  each.  Isn't  that  a  good 
idea?" 

"  Excellent,"  replied  Jennie ;  "  nevertheless  I  can 
not  help  feeling  just  a  little  sorry  for  poor  Mr. 
Hardwick." 

«  Who  is  he— the  editor  ?  " 

"  Yes.  He  dtd  have  such  faith  in  me  that  it 
seems  almost  a  pity  to  disappoint  him." 

"You  mustn't  trouble  your  mind  about  Hard- 
wick. Don't  think  of  him  at  all;  think  of  me 
instead." 

"I  am  afraid  I  do,  and  have  done  so  for  some 


324     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

time  past ;  nevertheless  I  shall  get  off  at  Li^ge  and 
telegraph  to  him  that  I  am  not  bringing  the  docu- 
ment to  London." 

"  I  will  send  the  telegram  for  you  when  we  reach 
there ;  but,  if  I  remember  rightly  what  you  told  me 
of  his  purpose,  he  can't  be  very  deeply  disappointed. 
I  understood  you  to  say  that  he  did  not  intend  to 
publish  the  document,  even  if  he  got  it." 

"That  is  quite  true.  He  vished  to  act  as  the 
final  messenger  himself,  "ind  was  to  meet  me  at 
Charing  Cross  Station,  secure  the  envelope,  and 
take  it  at  once  to  its  destination." 

"  I  must  confess,"  said  the  young  man,  with  a  be- 
wildered expression,  "  that  I  don't  see  the  object  of 
that.    Are  you  sure  he  told  you  the  truth  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  The  object  was  this.  It  seems  that 
there  is  in  the  Foreign  OfHce  some  crusty  old  cur- 
mudgeon  who  delights  in  baffling  Mr.  Hardwick. 
This  official — I  forget  his  name ;  in  fact,  I  don't 
think  Mr.  Hardwick  told  me  who  he  was — seems  to 
forget  the  Daily  Bugle  when  important  items  of 
news  are  to  be  given  out,  and  Mr.  Hardwick  says 
that  he  favours  one  of  the  rival  papers,  and  the 
Bugle  has  been  unable,  so  far,  to  receive  anything 
like  fair  treatment  from  him  ;  so  Mr.  Hardwick 
wanted  to  take  the  document  td  him,  and  thus  con- 


JENNIE'S  CONVERSATION.  325 


I  and 
locu- 

reach 
d  me 
inted. 
nd  to 

IS  the 
me  at 
e,  and 

li  abe- 
►ject  of 

s  that 
|ld  cur- 
•dwick. 
don't 
lems  to 
ims  of 
|ck  says 
nd  the 
lything 
.rdwick 
us  con- 


vince him  there  was  danger  in  making  an  enemy  of 
the  Daily  Bugle.  As  I  understood  his  project, 
which  didn't  commend  itself  very  much  to  me, 
Hardwick  had  no  intention  of  making  a  bargain, 
but  simply  proposed  to  hand  over  the  document, 
and  ask  the  Foreign  Office  man  to  give  the  Buglt 
its  fair  share  in  what  was  going." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  official  in  question 
is  the  man  to  whom  I  am  to  give  this  letter  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Oh,  my  prophetic  soul,  my  uncle  I  Why,  that 
is  Sir  James  Cardiff,  the  elder  brother  of  my 
mother ;  he  is  a  dear  old  chap,  but  I  can  well  under- 
stand  an  outsider  thinking  him  gruff  and  uncivil. 
If  the  editor  really  means  what  he  says,  then  there 
will  be  no  difficulty  and  no  disappointment.  If  all 
that  is  needed  is  the  winning  over  of  old  Jimmy  to 
be  civil  to  Hardwick,  I  can  guarantee  that.  I  am 
the  especial  proUgi  of  my  uncle.  Everything  I 
know  I  have  learned  from  him.  He  cannot  under- 
stand why  the  British  Government  does  not  appoint 
me  immediately  Ambassador  to  France  ;  Jimmy 
would  do  it  to-morrow  if  he  had  the  power.  It  was 
through  him  that  I  heard  of  this  letter,  and  I  be- 
lieve his  influence  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  my 
getting  the  commission  of  special  messenger.     It 


!i   i 


326     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

was  the  chagrin  that  my  uncle  Jimmy  would  have 
felt,  had  I  failed,  that  put  the  final  drop  of  bitter- 
ness m  my  cup  of  sorrow  when  I  came  to  my  senses 
after  my  encounter  with  the  Russian  police.  That 
would  have  been  a  stunning  blow  to  Sir  James 
Cardiff.  We  shall  reach  Charing  Cross  about  7:30 
to-night,  and  Sir  James  will  be  there  with  his 
brougham  to  take  charge  of  me  when  I  arrive. 
Now,  what  do  you  say  to  our  settling  all  this  under 
the  canopy  of  Charing  Cross  Station  ?  If  you  tele- 
graph Mr.  Hard  wick  to  meet  us  there,  I  will  intro- 
duce him  to  Sir  James,  and  he  will  never  have  any 
more  trouble  in  that  quarter." 

"I  think,"  said  the  girl,  looking  down  at  the 
tablecloth,  "  that  I'd  rather  not  have  Mr.  Hardwick 
meet  us." 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  the  young  man 
quickly.  "  What  was  I  thinking  about  ?  It  will  be 
a  family  gathering;  and  we  don't  want  any  out- 
siders about,  do  we  ?  " 

Jennie  laughed,  but  made  no  reply. 


r. 


lid  have 
f  bitter- 
y  senses 
5.    That 
ir  James 
>out  7:30 
with  his 
I    arrive, 
his  under 

you  tele- 
will  intro- 

have  any 

vn  at  the 
iHardwick 

ung   man 
It  will  be 
any  out- 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

JENNIE  KEEPS  STEP  WITH  THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 

They  had  a  smooth  and  speedy  passage  across 
from  Calais  to  Dover,  and  the  train  drew  in  at 
Charing  Station  exactly  on  time.  Lord  Donal 
recognised  his  uncle's  brougham  waiting  for  him, 
and  on  hanaing  the  young  lady  out  of  the  railway 
carriage  he  espied  the  old  man  himself  closely  scru- 
tinising the  passengers.  Sir  James,  catching  sight 
of  him,  came  eagerly  forward  and  clasped  both  his 
nephew's  hands. 

"  Donal,"  he  cried,  "  I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  see 
you.     Is  everything  right  ?  " 

"  As  right  as  can  be,  uncle." 

"  Then  I  am  glad  of  that,  too,  for  we  have  had 
some  very  disquieting  hints  from  the  East." 

"  They  were  quite  justified,  as  I  shall  tell  you 
later  on  ;  but  meanwhile,  uncle,  allow  me  to  intro- 
duce to  you  Miss  Baxter,  who  has  done  me  the 
honour  of  promising  to  be  my  wife." 

Jennie  blushed  in  the  searching  rays  of  the  electric 
light  as  the  old   man  turned  quickly  towards  her. 


Ill 


K>' 


328     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

Sir  James  held  her  hand  in  his  for  jome  moments 
before  he  spoke,  gazing  intently  at  her.  Then  he 
said  slowly,  "  Ah,  Donal,  Donal,  you  always  had  a 
keen  eye  for  the  beautiful." 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  cried  the  young  man,  abashed  at 
his  uncle's  frankness,  "  I  don't  call  that  a  diplomatic 
remark  at  all,  you  know." 

"  Indeed,  Sir  James,"  said  the  girl,  laughing 
merrily,  "  it  is  better  than  diplomatic,  it  is  compli- 
mentary, and  I  assure  you  I  appreciate  it.  The 
first  time  he  met  me  he  took  me  for  quite  another 
person." 

"  Then,  whoever  that  person  is,  my  dear,"  replied 
the  old  man,  "  I'll  guarantee  she  is  a  lovely  woman. 
And  you  mustn't  mind  what  I  say  ;  nobody  else 
does,  otherwise  my  boy  Donal  here  would  be  much 
higher  in  the  service  than  the  present  moment  finds 
him  ;  but  I  am  pleased  to  tell  you  that  the  journey 
he  has  now  finished  will  prove  greatly  to  his  advan- 
tage." 

"  Indeed,  uncle,  that  is  true,"  said  the  young 
man,  looking  at  his  betrothed,  "  for  on  this  journey 
I  met  again  Miss  Baxter,  whom,  to  my  great  grief, 
I  had  lost  for  some  time.  And  now,  uncle,  I  want 
you  to  do  me  a  great  favour.  Do  you  know  Mr. 
Hardwick,  editor  of  the  Dat/y  Bu£le  ?  " 


r. 


THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 


329 


loments 
rhen  he 
rs  had  a 

ished  at 
plomatic 

laughing 

5  compli- 

it.    The 

i  another 

;•  replied 

y  woman. 

body  else 
be  much 
ent  finds 

le  journey 
lis  advan- 

le  young 
|s  journey 
leat  grief, 
|e,  I  want 
enow  Mr. 


"  Yes,  I  know  him  ;  but  I  don't  like  him,  nor  his 
paper  either." 

"  Well,  neither  do  the  Russians,  for  that  matter, 
by  this  time,  and  I  merely  wish  to  tell  you  that  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  his  action,  and  for  the  promptness 
of  a  member  of  his  staff,  I  should  have  failed  in  this 
mission.  I  was  drugged  by  the  Russian  police  and 
robbed.  Miss  Baxter,  who  was  on  the  train,  saw 
soit.ething  of  what  was  going  forward,  and  succeeded, 
most  deftly,  in  despoiling  the  robbers.  I  was  lying 
insensible  at  the  time  and  helpless.  She  secured 
the  document  and  handed  it  back  to  me  when  we 
had  crossed  the  frontier,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the 
Russians  a  similar  envelope  containing  a  copy  of 
the  Daify  Bugle  ;  therefore,  uncle,  if  in  future  you 
can  do  anything  to  oblige  Mr.  Hardwick,  you  will 
help  in  a  measure  to  cancel  the  obligation  which 
our  family  owes  to  him." 

"  My  dear  boy,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  do  so.  I 
am  afraid  I  have  been  rather  uncivil  to  him.  If 
you  wish  it,  I  will  go  at  once  and  apologise  to 
him." 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  Jennie,  "  you  must  not  do  that ; 
but  if  you  can  help  him  without  jeopardizing  the 
service,  I  for  one,  will  be  very  glad." 

"So  shall  I,"  said  Donal. 


330     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

The  old  man  took  out  his  card-case,  and  on  the 
back  of  his  card  scribbled  a  most  cordial  invitation 
to  Hardwrick,  asking  him  to  call  on  him.  He  handed 
this  to  Jennie,  and  said, — 

"  Tell  Mr.  Hardwick  that  I  shall  be  pleased  to  see 
him  at  any  time." 

"  And  now,"  said  Lord  Donal,  "  you  must  let  us 
both  escort  you  home  in  the  carriage." 

"  No,  no.  I  shall  take  a  hansom,  and  will  go 
directly  to  the  office  of  the  Bugle^  for  Mr.  Hardwick 
will  be  there  by  this  time." 

« 

"  But  we  can  drive  you  there." 

••*  No,  please." 

She  held  out  her  hand  to  Sir  James  and  said,  with 
the  least  bit  of  hesitation  before  uttering  the  last 
word,  "  Good  night — uncle." 

"  Good-night,  my  dear,"  said  the  old  man,  "  and 
God  bless  you,"  he  added  with  a  tenderness  which 
his  appearance,  so  solemn  and  stately,  left  one 
unprepared  for. 

Lord  Donal  saw  his  betrothed  into  a  hansom, 
protesting  all  the  while  at  thus  having  to  allow  her 
to  go  off  unprotected. 

"  What  an  old  darling  he  is,"  murmured  Jennie, 
ignoring  his  protests.  *'  I  think  if  Mr.  Hardwick 
had  allowed  me  to  lo uk  after  the  interests  of  the 


IT. 


THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 


331 


d  on  the 
nvitation 
[e  handed 

Bed  to  see 

ust  let  us 

i  will  go 
Hardwick 


said,  with 
ig  the  last 

nan,  "  and 
less  which 
,  left  one 

a  hansom, 
>  allow  her 

ed  Jennie, 
Hardwick 
ssts  of  the 


paper  at  the  Foreign  Office,  Sir  James  would  not 
have  snubbed  me." 

"  If  the  Foreign  Office  dared  to  do  such  a  thing. 
It  would  hear  of  something  not  to  its  advantage 
from  the  Diplomatic  Service  ;  and  so,  good-night 
my  dear."  And,  with  additions,  the  nephew  re- 
peated the  benediction  of  his  uncle. 

Jennie  drove  direc  iy  to  the  office  of  the  Datijy 
Bugle,  and,  for  the  last  time,  mounting  the  stairs, 
entered  the  editorial  rooms.  She  found  Mr.  Hard- 
wick at  his  desk,  and  he  sprang  up  quickly  on  set- 
ing  who  his  visitor  was. 

"/ih,  you  have  returned,"  he  cried.  "  You  didn't 
telegraph  to  me,  so  I  suppose  that  means   failure." 

"  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Hardwick.  It  all  depends 
on  whethci'  or  not  your  object  was  exactly  what 
you  told  me  it  was." 

"  And  what  was  that  ?  I  think  I  told  you  that 
my  desire  was  to  get  possession  of  the  document 
v;hich  was  being  transmitted  from  St.  Petersburg  to 
London." 

"  No  ;  you  said  the  object  was  the  mollifying  of 
old  Sir  James  Cardiff,  of  the  Foreign  Office." 

"  Exactly ;  that  was  the  ultimate  object,  of 
course." 

"  Very  well.     Read  this  card.    Sir  James  gave  it 


332     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

to  me  at  Charing  Cross  Station  less  than  half  an 
hour  ago." 

The  editor  took  the  card,  turned  it  over  in  his 
hand  once  or  twice,  and  read  the  cordial  message 
which  the  old  man  had  scribbled  on  the  back  of  it. 

"Then  you  have  succeeded,"  cried  Hardwick. 
"  You  got  the  document ;  but,  why  did  you  give  it 
to  Sir  James  yourself,  instead  of  letting  me  hand  it 
to  him?" 

"  That  is  a  long  story.  To  put  it  briefly,  it  was 
because  the  messenger  carrying  the  document  was 
Lord  Donal  Stirling,  who  is — who  is — an  old  friend 
of  mine.  Sir  James  is  his  uncle,  and  Lord  Donal 
promised  that  he  would  persuade  the  old  man  to 
let  other  newspapers  have  no  advantages  which  he 
refused  to  the  Daily  Bugle.  I  did  not  give  the 
document  to  Sir  James,  I  gave  it  back  to  Lord 
Donal." 

"Lord  Donal  Stirling — Lord  Donrl  Stirling," 
mused  the  editor.  "  Where  have  I  heard  that  name 
before  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  member  of  the  British  Embassy  at  St. 
Petersburg,  so  you  may  have  seen  his  name  in  the 
despatches." 

"  No.  He  is  not  so  celebrated  as  all  that  comes 
to.    Ah,  I  remember  now.     I  met  the  detective  the 


THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 


333 


other  night  and  asked  him  if  anything  had  come  of 
that  romance  in  high  life,  to  solve  which  he  had 
asked  your  assistance.  He  said  the  search  for  the 
missing  lady  had  been  abandoned  and  mentioned 
the  name  of  Lord  Donal  Stirling  as  the  foolish 
yo  mg  man  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  unknown." 

Jennie  coloured  at  this  and  drew  herself  up  in- 
dignantly. 

"  Before  you  say  anything  further  against  Lord 
Donal,"  she  cried,  hotly,  "  I  wish  to  inform,  you 
that  he  and  I  are  to  be  married." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  f)ardon,"  said  the  editor  icily. 
"  Then  having  failed  to  find  the  other  girl,  he  has 
speedily  consoled  himself  by " 

"  There  was  no  other  girl.  I  was  the  person  of 
whom  Mr.  Cadbury  Taylor  was  in  search.  I  will- 
ingly gave  him  valuable  assistance  in  the  task  of 
failing  to  find  myself.  Having  only  a  stupid  man 
to  deal  with,  I  had  little  difficulty  in  accomplishing 
my  purpose.  Neither  Mr.  Taylor  nor  Mr.  Hard- 
wick  ever  suspected  that  the  missing  person  was  in 
their  own  employ." 

"  Well,  I'm  blessed :  "  ejaculated  Hardwick.  "  So 
you  baffled  Cadbury  Taylor  in  searching  for  your- 
self, as  you  baffled  me  in  getting  hold  of  the  Rus-. 


334     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

sian  letter.  It  seems  to  me,  Miss  Baxter,  that 
where  your  own  inclinations  do  no  coincide  with 
tV  „  isht^s  of  your  employers,  the  ii,  .rests  of  those 
whr     ay  you  fall  to  the  ground." 

"■  M:  Cadbury  Taylor  didn't  pay  me  anything  for 
my  servicer  as  amateur  detective,  and  he  has,  there- 
fore, no  right  to  grumble.  As  for  the  St.  Peters- 
burg trip,  I  shall  send  you  a  cheque  for  all  expenses 
incurred  as  soon  as  I  reach  home." 

"  Oh,  you  mistake  me,"  asserted  Mr.  Hardwick, 
earnestly.  "  I  had  no  thought  of  even  hinting  that 
you  have  not  earned  over  and  over  again  all  the 
money  the  Daily  Bugle  has  paid  you ;  besides,  I 
was  longing  for  your  return,  for  I  want  your  assis- 
tance in  solving  a  mystery  that  has  rather  puzzled 
us  all.     Paris  is  in  a  turmoil  just  now  over  the " 

Jennie's  clear  laugh  rang  out. 

"  I  am  going  over  to  Paris  in  a  day  or  two,  Mr. 
Hardwick,  to  solve  the  mystery  of  dressmaking, 
and  I  think,  from  what  I  know  of  it  already,  it  will 
require  my  whole  attention.  I  must  insist  on  re- 
turning to  you  the  cost  of  the  St.  Petersburg  jour- 
ney, for,  after  all,  it  proved  to  be  rather  a  personal 
excursion,  and  I  couldn't  think  of  allowing  the 
paper  to  pay  for  it.  I  merely  came  in  to-night  to 
hand  you  this  card  from  Sir  James  Cardiff,  and  I  also 


THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 


335 


desire  to  tender  to  you  personally  my  resignation. 
And  so  I  must  bid  you  good-bye,  Mr.  Hardwick," 
said  the  girl  holding  out  her  hand ;  "  and  I  thank 
you  very  much  indeed  for  having  given  me  a  chance 
to  work  on  your  paper." 

Before  the  editor  could  reply,  she  ^-^  *  "one,  and 
that  good  man  sat  down  in  his  chair  hew  ^red  by 
the  suddenness  of  it  all,  the  room  'oc'cing  empty 
and  dismal,  lacking  her  presence. 

"Confound  Lord  Donal  Stirlir  *"  he  muttered 
under  his  breath,  and  then,  as  an  editor  should,  he 
went  on  impassively  with  his  night's  work. 


It  was  intended  that  the  wedding  should  be 
rather  a  quiet  affair,  but  circumstances  proved  too 
strong  for  the  young  people.  Lord  Donal  was 
very  popular,  and  the  bride  was  very  beautiful. 
Sir  James  thought  it  necessary  to  invite  a  great 
many  people,  and  he  intimated  to  Lord  Donal  that 
a  highly  placed  personage  desired  to  honour  the 
function  with  his  presence.  And  thus  the  event 
created  quite  a  little  flutter  in  the  smart  set.  The 
society  papers  affirmed  that  this  elevated  personage 
had  been  particularly  pleased  by  some  diplomatic 
service  which   Lord  Donal  had  recently  rendered 


336     JENNIE  BAXTER,  JOURNALIST. 

him ;  but  then,  of  course,  one  can  never  believe  what 
one  reads  in  the  society  press.  However,  the  man 
of  exalted  rank  was  there,  and  so  people  said  that 
perhaps  there  might  be  something  in  the  rumour. 
Naturally  there  was  a  great  turn-out  of  ambassadors 
and  ministers,  and  their  presence  gave  colour  and 
dignity  to  the  crush  at  St.  George's,  Hanover  Square. 
The  Princess  von  Steinheimer  made  a  special  jour- 
ney from  Vienna  to  attend,  and  on  this  occasion 
she  brought  the  Prince  with  her.  The  general 
opinion  was  that  the  {bridegroom  was  a  very  noble- 
looking  fellow,  and  that  the  bride,  in  her  sumptuous 
wedding  apparel,  was  quite  too  lovely  for  anything. 

The  Princess  was  exceedingly  bright  and  gay, 
and  she  chatted  with  her  old  friends  the  Ambassa- 
dors from  Austria  and  America. 

"  I'm  so  sorry,"  she  said  to  the  Ambassador  from 
America,  "  that  I  did  not  have  time  to  speak  with 
you  at  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball,  but  I  was 
compelled  to  leave  early.  You  should  have  come 
to  me  sooner.  The  Count  here  was  much  more 
gallant.  We  had  a  most  delightful  conversation, 
hadn't  we.  Count  ?  I  was  with  Lord  Donal,  you 
remember." 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  aged  Austrian,  bowing 
low;  "I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  charming  con- 


THE  WEDDING  MARCH. 


337 


versation  I  had  with  your  Highness,  and  I  hope 
you,  on  your  part,  have  not  forgotten  the  cordial  in- 
vitation you  gave  me  to  visit  again  your  castle  at 
Meran." 

"  Indeed,  Count,  you  know  very  well  how  glad  I 
am  to  see  you  at  any  time,  either  in  Vienna  or  at 
Meran.' 

The  American  Ambassador  remained  silent,  and 
glanced  alternately  from  the  bride  to  the  Princess 
with  a  puzzled  expression  on  his  face. 

The  mystery  of  the  Duchess  of  Chiselhurst's  ball 
proved  too  much  for  him,  as  the  search  for  the 
missing  lady  had  proved  too  much  for  Mr.  Cadbury 
Taylor. 


THE  END. 


